My preceptor exemplifies the characteristics of a DAISY Nurse. She has made significant differences in the lives of some of our patients. For example, she had a patient who had persistent pain (8 out of 10) that wasn't going away with the prescribed pain medication. This was hindering the patient's ability to sleep and function. My preceptor advocated for her patient to get a more effective pain medication (IV Tylenol) by speaking to the resident doctor. Her request was denied because the drug is very expensive, and the doctor did not want to get scrutinized for ordering it. This didn't stop my preceptor and she went on to plead her case to the attending doctor, who approved her request. This helped the patient's pain significantly and he was finally able to get some rest.

I've noticed that she establishes a special connection with each patient and their family. She spends extra time in patients' rooms, when able, to learn more about them and their hobbies. Numerous patients have expressed how great she has been in taking care of them and wish she would be their nurse for the night shift as well. One of our patients was being transferred to a different unit and shared how he was sad that we wouldn't be his nurses anymore.

Another example of a time she made a significant difference in the life of a patient occurred after she assessed a patient and noticed his pupils were unequal/unreactive. She discussed her finding with another coworker and decided to go the doctor's meeting room to tell them about it. They suggested he get a CT scan, so my preceptor proceeded to go out to the waiting room and tell the patient's wife about the situation. This resulted in the wife explaining that the unequal pupils were actually a result of a dilating medication he takes at home. My preceptor had the patient's wife come with her to go back and explain this to the doctors. This brought more clarity to the situation and stopped the patient from having to get an unnecessary CT scan.

Not only does my preceptor go above and beyond for her patients, but she also helps her coworkers when they need assistance. She is very positive and brings great energy to the unit. For example, she checks in on her coworkers to see how they are doing and if they need help with anything. She even brought in homemade cookies for everyone on the unit. Her interprofessional skills such as communication, empathy, critical thinking, leadership, active listening, and conflict resolution are also great. For example, we had a patient who was impolite and very demanding. This caused most staff to categorize him as difficult, but my preceptor went in with a positive mindset and showed him empathy. This took the patient by surprise, and he changed the way he was behaving. By the second day we cared for him, he was more pleasant and did not want anyone else to care for him but us.

Another incident in which my preceptor displayed interprofessional skills had to do with communicating with the doctor of her patient. She noticed a new order for a medication that the patient was allergic to. This led her to immediately contacting the doctor to make sure it was not an error, and that they were aware of the allergy. My preceptor also shows leadership skills by bringing awareness to any misinterpretation of information taught about the new beds on the unit. Everyone thought that the beds helped offload the patients, but it does not. We found this out as I was speaking to an educator about a current issue to use for my evidence-based project. Since finding out this was the reason for the rise of pressure injuries on the unit, my preceptor has been sharing the newly learned information with all her coworkers. This led to more nurses learning about the proper function of the bed features. Since then, a new assessment protocol has been implemented to help reduce hospital-acquired pressure injuries.

My preceptor is a great role model in the nursing profession and has taught me so much already. She is great at demonstrating and helping me work through new skills. I also like how she challenges me to think critically about why my patient is on a certain medication, how their prognosis is affecting their labs, and what to expect during assessments based on their condition. For example, we had a patient that was on a beta blocker and she had me research the medication. I learned that it reduces blood pressure and she explained that it is important to get a recent BP reading before administering the medication. She explained to me that this is a mental checklist (knowing the adverse effects of meds and the patient's current vitals) that she does before giving any medication to ensure it will be safe to give.

I am very grateful for all that I have learned so far and feel more confident in my ability to be a nurse because of her. There are many more things that I can mention on why she deserves this award, but this is just a highlight of some of the amazing work she has done since I have started my capstone.