I worked with Devin on night shifts for my first rotation as an MD. Devin was incredible from the very start both in the team setting and when performing patient-facing duties. She immediately set herself apart by her excellent communication skills, technical expertise in nursing, and perhaps most importantly bedside manner.

Because she was so detailed in her care of patients, residents, and attendings always knew exactly when a patient's vitals were abnormal or their pain had changed. Several times, this led to the prompt address of a patient who wasn't responding well to therapy, whether it be fluid resuscitation, transfusions, pain medications, or antibiotics. There is no doubt in my mind the quality of her communication has directly prevented morbidity or even mortality in several of the patients we worked with. 

Additionally, she never failed to close the loop or hold others to that same standard. Because of this, Devin allowed patients to always have their pain addressed by the whole team, and lab results reacted to with appropriate accuracy. Certain night teams cover two teams, at times, I would have over 25 patients, with several being rather unstable. In times like those, it is absolutely imperative that nurses like Devin exist, as things are easily lost in the shuffle. Nurses like Devin hold us accountable when we forget to follow-up on a medication or lab, or even over-the-counter order for a patient, and directly improve the experience of patients.

Her technical skills were also notable, whether it be in taking care of severe ulcers to a degree that I never saw a wet wound dressing (which is truly remarkable given the degree of ulcers in some of the patients she cared for); triaging symptoms and vitals (just because the computer says something is signficant, does not mean it is, similarly just because the computer says it isn't significant, doesn't mean it isn't); drawing blood (she was able to get cultures in an elderly edematous patient who was already a hard stick with a hemoglobin of ~7 when we had failed even with ultrasound); or organizing her workflow so that every patient had their needs promptly met, it was absolute pleasure for the residents and attendings who worked with her.

Finally, perhaps most importantly, her bedside manner was impeccable. From what I observe, while nursing is deeply rewarding in a way that few other professions are, it is also undeniably one of the most challenging professions. Despite this, Devin was always seen in the wards greeting every staff member and patient with a cheerful tone and smile. Whether patients were agitated or calm, delirious or alert, it was evident in each patient's behavior they appreciated having such a comforting presence. Beyond this, her words and actions also aligned - in one patient who had a high potential to decompensate and who was cold after sitting on an OR bench for several hours, she immediately grabbed a bear hugger and warmed them up, appropriately triaging them as the sickest of her patient and allocating a close eye to them throughout the rest of the shift.

Devin's proactivity in patient care, both from a psychological and physical standpoint, is truly something special, and her technical skills back up her personality to create an incredible nurse, both from the perspective of those who work with her and those with whom she works. For these reasons, I can think of nobody else who deserves the DAISY Award more.