Elyssa Pennington
May 2024
Elyssa
Pennington
,
RN
Women and Children's Center
Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
Plattsburgh
,
NY
United States
Elyssa worked tirelessly to get them what they needed, and she was successful. The patient left happy and thankful. This is a great example of a compassionate, kind, and caring nurse.
Imagine being homeless, not able to speak or understand English, and in labor, preparing to give birth to your fourth child. That’s the distressful situation a woman found herself in while at The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Alice T. Miner Women and Children’s Center (WCC). Elyssa Pennington, RN, did all she could to give the mother, new baby, and their family what they needed to be able to safely leave the hospital. That’s why she has been honored as the latest recipient of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.
She was nominated by WCC Assistant Nurse Manager Katie D, who witnessed the extraordinary care and support Pennington delivered.
In her nomination, K explains that the patient was from the Congo and could only speak Lingala, one of four national languages there.
“Each time Elyssa went into the patient’s room, she worked with our language line to communicate as best she could with the new mother,” K adds.
The patient and her family, which includes her husband, the new baby, and their three other children, were homeless at the time and trying to find a new place to stay, according to K.
“Elyssa worked tirelessly to get them what they needed, and she was successful. The patient left happy and thankful. This is a great example of a compassionate, kind, and caring nurse,” she continues. “When Elyssa is confronted with an obstacle, she sees it as a challenge that she accepts and overcomes, just like this.”
Pennington is in her second year as a nurse at CVPH. Those who work with her, including K, note her desire to learn and grow in her role at the WCC.
“I’ve watched her blossom so much in the short time she’s been with us,” continues K. “Elyssa doesn’t stop at her learned skill set. She continues to keep herself up-to-date on any new information. She has taken on the development of new policies and updating old ones. Elyssa is constantly trying to improve patient care in any way she can.”
She was nominated by WCC Assistant Nurse Manager Katie D, who witnessed the extraordinary care and support Pennington delivered.
In her nomination, K explains that the patient was from the Congo and could only speak Lingala, one of four national languages there.
“Each time Elyssa went into the patient’s room, she worked with our language line to communicate as best she could with the new mother,” K adds.
The patient and her family, which includes her husband, the new baby, and their three other children, were homeless at the time and trying to find a new place to stay, according to K.
“Elyssa worked tirelessly to get them what they needed, and she was successful. The patient left happy and thankful. This is a great example of a compassionate, kind, and caring nurse,” she continues. “When Elyssa is confronted with an obstacle, she sees it as a challenge that she accepts and overcomes, just like this.”
Pennington is in her second year as a nurse at CVPH. Those who work with her, including K, note her desire to learn and grow in her role at the WCC.
“I’ve watched her blossom so much in the short time she’s been with us,” continues K. “Elyssa doesn’t stop at her learned skill set. She continues to keep herself up-to-date on any new information. She has taken on the development of new policies and updating old ones. Elyssa is constantly trying to improve patient care in any way she can.”