Within minutes of meeting Alyse, it was clear that she was going to be an advocate for the needs of this apprehensive 67-year-old and his wife of nearly 45 years.  She understood that she would help guide us through completely uncharted waters, and she did everything to make us comfortable.  The best way I could describe my impression of Alyse was that she had “the heart of a servant.”  It fits Alyse.  She was a perfect blend of professionalism, compassion, and tolerance of the dad humor schtick that comes along with dealing with me.  

I was fortunate that she would be assigned to my room for four days.  She soon determined that I was strong enough to walk with only my wife accompanying me and that I was able to safely get to the restroom on my own.  Some dignity was restored.  She also got it approved that I no longer needed to wear the extremely fashionable robe that I was provided and that I could change into gym shorts and shirt that I arrived in.  My comfort was important to her.  Every time she was in the room, she would be sure to ask my wife if there was anything that she needed.  Caring for my wife made me like her even more.  When she would leave at the end of her shift, she would explain to the evening nurses that I wasn’t sleeping much, that I would be out walking independently throughout the night, and would call if I needed them.  I appreciated the freedom to perform the tasks that I had shown that I was capable of performing safely on my own.  

Over the years, I helped positions of management with different companies where I would assess people in terms of picking them if starting a new endeavor of any kind.  If I were using the NBA standard, Alyse would be a lottery pick.  I could not recommend Alyse Betchner more highly for your DAISY Award.  She is the epitome of what my expectations for professional nursing should be.