Daisy Award

In April, Carrie cared for a patient who spent several days in the Trauma ICU with necrotizing fascitis and sepsis, and she received a very touching letter. Below is a small excerpt:

"You were the only medical person who treated me as a human and gave me humanity. I had other nurses who were kind and even chit-chatted when they had a free moment, and I know the medical system doesn’t really allow for extra time for empathy and compassion these days. Your ability to see my needs on another level (and essential to my physical recovery) is because you are special. You are doing the job you were meant to do. You shine your light on people and I wanted to let you know that. Everyone around you probably knows it, but I needed to tell you how utterly humbled and grateful I am that I had the privilege of being in your care. ~Every gratitude, Natalie"

Recently, Tracie cared for a patient whose only family member in the area came from out of state. In a letter, she wrote:

"After caring for my brother only one time, Tracie became my immediate family by listening and suggesting things to see us through this hospitalization. When caring for him, she took extra care to make sure he was clean and comfortable. Tracie would do a quick stop by to see how we were doing and offer hugs to me. She even took the time to draw me a map to help me get somewhere. In my opinion, Tracie is an exemplary nurse. We are fortunate that she touched our lives."  

"Regina was exceptional to work with. I was so scared I had no idea what to expect, especially with Coronavirus, and no family was allowed in, so it was just her and I a lot of days. Even when I was at home, we communicated through email. She went above and beyond for me. She was hands on with me from the beginning to the end of my treatment and answered all my questions and found answers to whatever I needed that she wasn't certain about. She was not only a caregiver to me but she became more like a friend. And even though I'm no longer under her care she still stops to check on me and encourages me throughout my journey. Sometimes she has no idea the huge impact she has made on me during this journey I'm experiencing. I will forever be grateful and truly appreciate her and will forever remember her. Thank you again, Regina."

"We are nominating Cat. During our 4 separate stays in the SICU, Cat went above and beyond to care for our son RJ (Robert John) even when he wasn’t her patient. On Labor Day, during her break, Cat got RJ into a wheelchair and took him outside to be reunited with his beloved Murphy after being separated for 5 weeks. Cat also made sure to visit often when she did not have RJ and always nudged him to get up and into a therapy chair for his own good. Cat cleaned his room and kept RJ clean and safe. She was by far our favorite nurse in our almost 7 week stay at UH. Thank you, Cat for making a difference."

"I can’t describe just one occasion. What I can say is that this young lady is the best nurse I have ever come into contact with. Kamika made sure I was not in pain, that I was always comfortable, and somehow in the darkest time of my life she made me happy. University Hospital is so lucky to have her.

I can’t thank her enough."

"I was very pleased to have Makenzie as my nurse for several days. She was A+ in every way. She was knowledgeable and personable. She made my day more enjoyable.

I became really ill in October and was scared out of my mind thinking the worst. The first time I came to Seidman 6, I was thinking the worst until I saw the cheeriest face smiling and so kind. Before I was released to Seidman 6, I was asked to take a COVID test. I refused because the test requires them to stick this long Q-tip in your nose to the back of your throat. I was terrified. When getting upstairs I was required to take one. Mackenzie saw the fear in my eyes, she smiled and said, "I'll let you do it. Don't stop until I tell you to." Her energy was just amazing and kept me calm the whole time. She's a sweetie."

I have been a nurse for almost 7 years now and I have never met a nurse who consistently comes to work in a great mood, puts a smile on every patient and visitor's face, and cares deeply about her job. Every day Julie comes to work, she is happy, bubbly, and smiling. Every single one of her coworkers cannot help but smile when they see her. She makes sure to say “h”" to everyone around her. She is even on a first name basis with all of the people we work with who are not on the ED team like rad techs, EVS, transport, food service, EPAT, etc. It also doesn't matter what a patient comes in for, Julie treats every patient with the same kindness, smile, enthusiasm, and empathy. Even patients who come in escorted by police for PCP, she treats everyone with the same smile. Not only is Julie the most caring nurse I have ever met, she also deeply cares about the unit. Julie participates in shared governance and she is a leader for her peers. A peer leader is a huge strength and exactly what the ED needs. Everyone knows they can go to Julie and their voice matters and will be heard. Julie also spends her free time attending magnet conferences and coming up with fun unit bonding activities. She even reads books about how to inspire and motivate ER staff. While Julie has only been a nurse for 2 years, she is a strong leader in the ED and looked upon by several staff. Her glowing personality and smile is toxic and just spreads when she is around.

Julie was in CPOD one night working when a patient who wasn't hers started to rapidly decline. This patient was confused, disoriented, trying to leave, and very hypotensive. The patient needed to be on vasopressors but was so confused they ripped out their IV and we no longer had access. Julie was an angel. She held the patients hand and sang to her while other nurses were able to get IV access. This took a very long time, but Julie was calm and patient the entire time. She just kept holding her hand, redirecting her, and finding songs that the patient knew to help calm them down and cooperate. Because of Julie, we were able to avoid restraints and were able to safely care for the patient. I do not feel like I have explained this story to the extent of how amazing it was to witness in person. Because of Julie the patient is better, the unit is better, and work is a brighter place to be.

"I have worked with Emily as a colleague for almost six years as a Nurse Practitioner on Seidman 4. She has transitioned through several leadership roles during her time at Seidman and excelled at each of them. From the beginning of my career as a new NP and new to Seidman, she was always supportive and welcoming. She was a bedside nurse that I identified immediately as possessing visible leadership skills. Her peers respect her and look to her for personal and professional guidance daily. She shows a maturity beyond her years of experience or age. She was then promoted to Assistant Manager where she shined as a nurse and patient advocate and then transitioned into the role of Inpatient Nursing Supervisor. Not only do others hold her to high regard, but she also holds herself to high standards. She is constantly educating herself both formally and informally. She obtained her master’s degree in Nursing Leadership and Management.

The only problem to nominating someone like her, is that there are too many great examples of her compassion, strong work ethic, and dedication to her patients that it is hard to choose just one. Instead, I would like to highlight the behavior she displays each and every day that is above and beyond her job description and what makes her an exceptional nurse and colleague. She can be seen and heard from during any code situation not just on Seidman 4 but any of the Seidman floors. Emily is an expert clinician and offers valuable suggestions to the medical teams during critical situations. She works hard to foster a mutually respectful and collaborative relationship between the nursing staff and the medical teams. She is also an expert in her technical skills and is called to all parts of the hospital to help with IV placement, medication drips, chemotherapy administration or central line removals for example. She has been a nurse at Seidman since 2012 and has a firm grasp on how to utilize her resources which is also what makes her such a valuable resource to her peers.

I can also speak personally about the support Emily offers me daily. I can rely on her even on her days off, to call me and help me solve any problem I may have. She helps me find nursing or HR policies, she triages patients with me and helps creates differentials. She is also the first person to offer emotional support whenever needed. She functions at the absolute peak of her license and her patients and colleagues are better because of it. She is not just technically skilled however, she has a natural ability to display patience and compassion that makes her the perfect oncology nurse. Her bedside manner is unparalleled. She is often recognized verbally by her peers and by patients for her exemplary work and compassion. Thank you for letting me shine a bright light on one of our Seidman stars."

"During my stay here on Seidman 5, Katie was phenomenal. She’s one of the kindest and most caring people I’ve ever met. Katie took excellent care of me and went out of her way to come in and visit with me for a few minutes on days and times that I didn’t have family here. Katie always took time to make sure that my husband had everything that he needed as well. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Katie, for being the amazing person that you are!

I know, I know it has to do with getting a patient ready/showered before the Steelers game. However, she did an excellent job getting towels/supplies and helping me get ready for a 1:00 pm Steelers game, but I could not have ever done it without her! She was great!"

Pictured: Katie Burns, RN, Mellissa Craig, RN, Nicole Elm, RN
Not pictured: Dr. Haddad, Attending, Caitlin Gaffney, RN, Anthony Mandato, RN, Katya Lebedev, RN, Megan Jaenke, RN, Shauna Nightswander, RN, Carrie Sweitzer, RN, Lauren Zak, RN, Ellen Hanna, RN, Shifra Broder, RN, Fayga Zigun, RN, Anthony Ferritto ,Medic, Andrew Protsman, Medic, Diasia Lee, secretary, Jeremy Buckholz, RT, Rachel Martin, Social Work, Regina Berry, Child Life

"What makes this team exceptional is their ability to care for patients and each other. In my previous roles, a trauma season like this would be enough to completely cripple a department. Quite the opposite has happened here. I feel that this team has used these tragedies to strengthen this department and their working relationship. It is inspiring for me as an emergency nurse, leader and parent."

– Amy Coward RN, MSN, CPN Clinical Nurse Manager