Annabelle is a nurse who is known throughout the facility due to her extensive expertise in ECMO. She is tasked with the responsibility of training our teams in not only simulation lab but on the floor as well. She gives of her time, often changing her home life and schedule as a NICU Nurse to come to work on the adult floor when called upon to help those patients, families, and coworkers. She brings her years of experience, and always her positive attitude and encouraging uplifting spirit with her. Families connect quickly with her due to her compassionate nature. She identifies families’ individual needs often offering advice and helpful tips through the many phases of the Neonatal ICU world.

We recently had a family that had several babies in our unit over the course of a few years. The mom informed me that Annabelle was her favorite nurse because she always took time to listen to her, took really good care of her babies, and she knew they were in good hands when she left. She said it was always easy to trust Annabelle.

Annabelle is often entrusted with developing new trainees and orienting them because she is patient and very knowledgeable. She was my charge nurse as I oriented in the NICU, and through her guidance, I felt supported and encouraged during my orientation. She was checking in with me throughout my shifts, ensuring I had breaks, answering my questions, and ensuring my needs and my patients’ needs were met. From her tips on charting to her leading the nursing team with critically ill infants, she makes herself available to her coworkers, physicians, and families, excelling as a nurse in both intelligence and skill. I feel she exemplifies what a DAISY Award Winner should strive to be on the floor, and as a leader for our team. I have seen her with the LVN students, spending extra time teaching them about the different babies in the unit, giving them the different size diapers to demonstrate the depth of what we as a unit are trusted with and do. The way their eyes light up when they actually see how small the equipment is, and hear her stories, she creates a welcoming environment for everyone who walks onto the floor in our home away from home.