In his infinite wisdom, the Dalai Lama once said, “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” Laura is a living embodiment of this quote; her comportment in both her personal and professional life demonstrates her strength in leading by example. As nurses, regardless of role, institution, or unit, our jobs are undeniably challenging.

In our unit, we are often tasked with the care of individuals with pre-existing complex psycho-social issues. The presence of security officers/police officers/and county sheriffs, verbal and physical violence against staff, and frequent codes are not uncommon. Despite the challenges we continue to face, Laura has remained an unfailing source of optimism, positivity, and support for our unit. She has a positive relationship with every individual on the unit, ranging from management to environmental services, and through this connection positively uplifts us as an entire team.

The key to this is Laura’s compassion and remarkable ability to connect with people. Nowhere is this more beneficial than with our unit population. Laura is frequently a resource nurse or float nurse on the floor, and her impact is thus multiplied exponentially. There are two examples that demonstrate this best. One patient, “P”, was completely immobile, trached, on airborne precautions, tube feedings (incontinent with constant TF diarrhea), multiple pressure injuries, and extreme anxiety. She was a challenging patient to have due to her high needs: suctioning, incontinence, and frequent reassurance.

Many nurses assigned as her primary would find themselves frequently struggling to fulfill the needs of their other patients. Laura was able to bond with P. Although she was the float nurse (on a particularly heavy day), she was able to find the time to simply sit next to her, hold her hand, soothe her, and painstakingly communicate with her, despite the trach. Often when Laura was on shift, P went from calling over 12 times an hour, to intermittently through the day. To assuage P’s anxiety, we showed her the fun we could have at work! I vividly recall dancing and singing with Laura at the foot of the bed, and P laughing so hard through her trach that we needed to suction her.

The second example is “L.” L was on contact precautions for his severely infected torso wounds, complex wound care, and later, wound vac changes, bilateral BKAs, and intermittently required wrist restraints and 1:1 sitter due to his violence and aggression (verbal and physical) against staff. Despite all the odds, Laura was able to establish therapeutic communication with him, and use the ultimate incentive -- chocolate milk and meatloaf, so that he was finally a willing participant in his care! Laura established trust with him so that the rest of the nurses assigned to him had greater success at fulfilling assigned interventions. This was truly an incredible feat considering that L had taken to throwing his feces and full urinals at his nurses, and most communication to that point had been expletives.

Laura truly exemplifies all the qualities of a DAISY Award Nurse. I have yet to meet an individual, patient, or colleague, that does not at best- implicitly adore her, or at worst- recognize her leadership skills, critical thinking, and astonishingly high patience threshold. Whether as a charge nurse, float, or floor nurse, Laura always supports her team. Her love for people is evident in the kindness of her actions, large or small. It is an honor to be the first colleague to nominate her for a DAISY Award.