I would like to nominate Ashley Stith for a DAISY Award. Ashley is an exceptional nurse leader with whom I've worked for over five years. Over these past five-plus years, Ashley has proven to be a strong nurse, competent leader, and caring coworker. Below are just a few examples that demonstrate Ashley's character.

A few months ago, I could hear a child screaming in the stairwell by my office. The screaming went on and on for what seemed like forever. I poked my head outside our office door to see what was going on when I saw Ashley helping a mother with her son. Unfortunately, the boy was extremely upset, to the point where he was not listening to his mother and was inconsolable. The mother was visibly upset as well. From what I observed, Ashley was trying to help the mother get her son to the car. The mother went outside to pull her car up to the door while Ashley waited with the boy in the lobby. At one point, he was lying on the lobby floor, so Ashley sat down next to him and tried to calm him down. It wasn't Ashley's job to help get the boy into the car to go home, nor to sit on the lobby floor trying to calm him down; however, she stepped in and supported that family who was in distress.

A couple of weeks ago, I was leaving my office when a medical assistant was walking an older woman down the hallway. In a split second, the woman fell to the ground. She was moaning but saying she was ok. I immediately thought to call Ashley - I knew she could do a quick evaluation to see what needed to happen next. Ashley quickly came from her office and started evaluating the woman in the hallway. After a few minutes, Ashley convinced her to be seen in the ED since she was confused and wobbly on her feet. She then wheeled the woman down to the ED. She literally dropped whatever she was doing to come and help this woman.

On a personal level, Ashley has been a wonderful support to me and my family. Five years ago, we were both expecting a baby at the same time (my first, her fifth). Ashley and I had several conversations about what to expect, which was so helpful and comforting to me, especially with her prior work experience in OB (plus her having four children already). We continued to have conversations about raising babies after both of our babies had been born - having the support of another mom/coworker going through the same things I was experiencing was huge.

Another example of Ashley being a caring coworker: last summer, my second baby had a reflux/choking episode at home, which absolutely terrified me. Thankfully, it was brief, and the baby started breathing fine on her own afterward, but I wanted her to be checked out. I frantically called Ashley, who got us to see the doctor at Schneck Pediatrics right away. Ashley was so calm on the phone and reassured me that bringing her to be checked out was the right thing to do. She remained calm the whole time, which helped me calm down and focus on getting to the office for my baby to be evaluated.

I can always depend on Ashley when something comes up. From what I've seen and experienced, she goes above and beyond for her staff, patients, and coworkers. She is a true DAISY Nurse Leader.