This nurse repeatedly inspires me with her example. A recent situation provides a case in point: A patient apparently doing well was pending transition to a less-monitored level of care but this nurse noticed a subtle clue at shift hand-off that something might be amiss. Her depth of clinical knowledge allowed her to recognize potential complications and she successfully advocated for the continuation of close monitoring. Then when the best course of treatment became ambiguous she went above and beyond to engage the providers in the urgency of the case and to press for timely consultation. Her careful collection and clear reporting of relevant clinical data supported her tenacious advocacy. She displayed remarkable diplomacy in her communication with the various providers and also with the patient, understandably, frustrated family member/DPOA. She went out of her way to support the DPOA with frequent updates and with guiding him in signing up for the patient portal all the while tending expertly to the tasks of caring for the patient.

This vignette is just one of the myriad examples in my experience as her colleague. Not only does she herself provide exceptional nursing care but also she supports her coworkers in doing so. She highlights case studies showing where changes in the system could improve our care and she actively supports many of those changes (I still reach for the rubric she designed for facilitating a smooth handoff from the OR). She provides clear shift hand-off reports which often include insightful perspectives on the patient’s social/emotional situation. Her descriptions are invariably respectful and compassionate, particularly with patients sometimes categorized as “difficult”. One time when I started my shift with a patient whom she had handed off to me I asked him how his day had been and he replied “That nurse today really took the time to help me make a plan. Now I feel like I understand better what the nurses and doctors are saying I should do, and now I know what I need to do to help myself get better!”

I believe that this nurse fully exemplifies the caliber of the nurses who inspired the Barnes family to establish the DAISY Award.