Nadia Cates
April 2021
Nadia
Cates
,
RN, BSN
Family Medicine
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston
,
TX
United States
Nadia advocated for the best care of this patient, and her excellence and critical thinking were quite evident.
I have known Nadia for 7 years and from day one she was a patient advocate and a huge team player. She meets and exceeds all DAISY Award criteria.
Exemplifies Excellence- she is a leader on the unit and is always helpful in assuring the unit is always Joint Commission ready. She participates in Joint Commission readiness and Best Practice initiatives.
Compassion- This is Nadia’s strong point. Nadia is very compassionate to both her patients and their families as well as to her peers. She makes sure that staff is mindful when we have hospice patients on the unit to be especially sensitive to their situation and helps reduce noise on the unit.
Teamwork- Nadia always is ready to help her team out. Several times she has switched her days to help fill holes on our schedule and ensure we have a charge nurse. She willingly takes the 6th patient when we have a float nurse come to the unit, is willing to take student nurses, and is a resource to her team members especially when she is charging.
Advocacy – this ties in with her compassion. Nadia advocates for her patients to ensure they have a voice; needs are met and receive the best care. She has a great rapport with the physicians and will escalate the needs of the patients to the MDs whether it be the need for pain management, physical therapy, or even advance directives.
Critical thinking – Nadia is a regular charge nurse and preceptor, and the staff sees her as a resource. She is very knowledgeable and has good time management skills. When she sees someone struggling, she will step in to help and escalate as needed.
Patient/Family focused- Nadia gets mentioned during rounding. One patient recently told me that Nadia was the best nurse he had ever had, and he said she was so patient and understanding. Nadia meets patients where they are at and ensures they get the care they need.
A specific clinical example that occurred recently was when Nadia was in charge- the unit was very heavy with several total care patients. Another nurse came to Nadia concerned about her patient. Nadia immediately went to see the patient. She asked the primary nurse if a Rapid was called because she did not think he looked good. The primary team was at the bedside but said not to call a Rapid because it was just a seizure. Nadia requested the team do an ABG because she had him the previous week and he presented similar and had to go to ICU for Bipap. The team ordered an ABG, Nadia was very concerned for the patient and had the HUC call RT, and Nadia then decided to call a Rapid. When the Rapid nurse arrived, he agreed that the patient was not looking good and the patient began to decline. The Rapid nurse decided that a Respiratory code be called, and ENT arrived and had to intubate the patient because he was hypercapnic. The patient was then transferred to the ICU. Nadia advocated for the best care of this patient, and her excellence and critical thinking were quite evident. The primary nurse was so appreciative of Nadia’s help and interventions, she thanked Nadia for being a team player. Our unit and our patients are very fortunate to have Nadia and I believe she is a true DAISY Nurse.
Exemplifies Excellence- she is a leader on the unit and is always helpful in assuring the unit is always Joint Commission ready. She participates in Joint Commission readiness and Best Practice initiatives.
Compassion- This is Nadia’s strong point. Nadia is very compassionate to both her patients and their families as well as to her peers. She makes sure that staff is mindful when we have hospice patients on the unit to be especially sensitive to their situation and helps reduce noise on the unit.
Teamwork- Nadia always is ready to help her team out. Several times she has switched her days to help fill holes on our schedule and ensure we have a charge nurse. She willingly takes the 6th patient when we have a float nurse come to the unit, is willing to take student nurses, and is a resource to her team members especially when she is charging.
Advocacy – this ties in with her compassion. Nadia advocates for her patients to ensure they have a voice; needs are met and receive the best care. She has a great rapport with the physicians and will escalate the needs of the patients to the MDs whether it be the need for pain management, physical therapy, or even advance directives.
Critical thinking – Nadia is a regular charge nurse and preceptor, and the staff sees her as a resource. She is very knowledgeable and has good time management skills. When she sees someone struggling, she will step in to help and escalate as needed.
Patient/Family focused- Nadia gets mentioned during rounding. One patient recently told me that Nadia was the best nurse he had ever had, and he said she was so patient and understanding. Nadia meets patients where they are at and ensures they get the care they need.
A specific clinical example that occurred recently was when Nadia was in charge- the unit was very heavy with several total care patients. Another nurse came to Nadia concerned about her patient. Nadia immediately went to see the patient. She asked the primary nurse if a Rapid was called because she did not think he looked good. The primary team was at the bedside but said not to call a Rapid because it was just a seizure. Nadia requested the team do an ABG because she had him the previous week and he presented similar and had to go to ICU for Bipap. The team ordered an ABG, Nadia was very concerned for the patient and had the HUC call RT, and Nadia then decided to call a Rapid. When the Rapid nurse arrived, he agreed that the patient was not looking good and the patient began to decline. The Rapid nurse decided that a Respiratory code be called, and ENT arrived and had to intubate the patient because he was hypercapnic. The patient was then transferred to the ICU. Nadia advocated for the best care of this patient, and her excellence and critical thinking were quite evident. The primary nurse was so appreciative of Nadia’s help and interventions, she thanked Nadia for being a team player. Our unit and our patients are very fortunate to have Nadia and I believe she is a true DAISY Nurse.