Heather Van Steenis
October 2024
Heather
Van Steenis
,
RN, BSN
Emergency Department
Pella Regional Health Center
Pella
,
IA
United States

 

 

 

Unbeknownst to the other ED staff, Heather jumps in the back of the ambulance with the patient and rides with her to the receiving facility.
We recently had a 17-year-old in the Emergency Department for whom we were caring, and Heather was her nurse. It was coming to the end of Heather's shift, and we were transferring the patient to a higher-level hospital for advanced care. As you can imagine, the patient was nervous and scared with everything going on, even with her parents here at the hospital by her side. Unbeknownst to the other ED staff, Heather jumps in the back of the ambulance with the patient and rides with her to the receiving facility. Later in the evening, about 3 hours after Heather's shift ended, Heather appeared walking back into the ED. This particular situation exemplifies exactly what the DAISY Award is all about.