The Extraordinary Work DAISY Nurses Do Every Day

A nurse in the Denver area, nominating two extraordinary nurses at Exempla-Lutheran Medical Center, wrote, "We often measure heroism in terms of great deeds fraught with danger and personal risk, but I also believe that heroism is kindness and mercy, selflessly rendered."

Nominations for The DAISY Award are written by fellow RNs, patients, family members, physicians, and staff. They take the time to do so because they have been, in some way, impacted by what the nurses they are nominating do and who they are. Having read over a thousand "winning nominations," here is how we would describe the extraordinary work DAISY nurses do every day:

• DAISY Nurses are the kind of nurses about whom other RNs say, "I would want this nurse to take care of my mother."
• DAISY Nurses have assessment skills so acute that they spot the tiny changes in a patient's symptoms or behavior that monitors cannot detect, often leading to life-saving action.
• DAISY Nurses are, when patients and families are most upset, always calm, focused, communicative, and comforting.
• DAISY Nurses are often nominated by the new grads they are precepting. These young RN's know they are being trained by a nurse who leads by example and exemplifies who a nurse truly is: a highly skilled clinician, a true patient advocate, a dedicated mentor, an insightful educator, a sensitive caregiver.
• DAISY Nurses are consummate team players, and their colleagues feel working with them is a "gift".
• DAISY Nurses don't "pass the buck." They are decisive and involved, doing what is required and then some, often working outside their comfort zone when a situation necessitates it.
• DAISY Nurses know that "the little things" can make a big difference in their patients' care and outcomes. In fact, there are no "little things" in patient care.
• DAISY Nurses are persistent. When their well-honed judgment speaks to them, they act persuasively - even when a physician disagrees with them or a patient says, "No, I'm fine."
• DAISY Nurses are not only nurses when they are on duty. They are nurses in supermarkets, in their hospitals' parking lots, in restaurants at dinner with their families, on airplanes - intervening and caring for total strangers who are in trouble.
• DAISY Nurses meet the needs of their patients not only by providing excellent nursing care but also paying close attention to the emotional and psychological needs of their patients. They treat each patient as a human being who has a personality, a history, a time of good health and strength, value and dignity.
• DAISY Nurses are entrusted with the lives and care of children, and the comfort and kindness these nurses show help their parents get through their worst nightmare - a child dreadfully ill or injured.
• DAISY Nurses know that taking the time for compassionate communication can help a family make a good decision for their loved one. DAISY Award honorees in the busiest units say to themselves often, "I have the time."
• DAISY Nurses, on their own time, with their own money, do special things for their patients' children, for patients who are indigent, for families who are desperate.
• DAISY Nurses don't let their personal situations interfere with their ability to deliver professional, skillful, compassionate care, even when they are dealing with their own tragedies.
• DAISY Nurses are the nurses about whom patients have written to hospital administrators, "Every day she/he was my nurses was a ''good day."

Honorees Stories

The extraordinary skill and kindness, selflessly rendered by DAISY Nurses are the reason we say nurses are unsung heroes. The stories that exemplify these qualities will move you as they move us. The following are excerpted and paraphrased from DAISY Nurse nominations:

Mostly quoted from an incredible letter to the CEO of a hospital near Denver:
... On a very cold night, after their shift ended, Nurses L and S were walking to their cars in the parking lot. As she approached her car, Nurse L. noticed something large lying in the snow and heard a weak cry for help. As she drew near the darkened object, she realized it was a man lying in the frosty grass. Nurse L shouted to Nurse S who was by then at her own car. Nurse S ran back to the hospital for help. In the moments while she was alone with the man, Nurse L of course thought about the possibility of her being assaulted by this stranger. He was confused, surely weak from the cold, and Nurse L could not predict what he would do. But he clearly needed help, and she was the one to provide it. She began to care for him until help arrived from the hospital. Had it not been for Nurse L's keen eye, ear and action, this man might have died of hypothermia. She saved his life. No one would have heard this story from Nurse L or Nurse S. They, like so many nurses, are shy humble souls. For them, it was just one more thing to do after a long and tiring day. All in the job... but it's more than that. These nurses represent the true backbone of our nursing staff. Their knowledge and skill go far beyond the doors of our hospital. They reach to every patient they have every cared for... and on a snowy night, to a freezing man laying out of sight in a lonely place at the back of the parking lot.

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... The Chief Nursing Officer of a hospital in Troy, MI, received an urgent call from a woman, Mrs. M, who told her this story: Mrs. M had not been feeling well and had driven to Costco to fill some prescriptions. While standing in line, a woman she didn't know approached her and asked if Mrs. M was feeling ok as she didn't look well. This observant shopper introduced herself to Mrs. M as Nurse H. Mrs. M told Nurse H that it was just the heat making her feel ill. But Nurse H did not leave it there. She questioned Mrs. M on her medical history, symptoms, and medications. Nurse H became very concerned that Mrs. M was having an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and tried to convince her that she needed an ambulance. Mrs. M insisted it was the heat, but Nurse H was relentless. She refused to leave Mrs. M's side as her patient filled her prescriptions and walked to her car. Mrs. M finally agreed to call a friend who is a cardiologist. Listening to her situation, he too urged her to get to the Emergency Room fast. When Nurse H and Mrs. M arrived at the hospital, she was indeed diagnosed as having an acute MI. She underwent emergency cardiac intervention and had an uneventful recovery. Mrs. M contacted Nurse H's hospital to sing her nurse's praises. Thanks to Nurse H's strong knowledge base and her commitment to doing the right thing, Mrs. M is around to compliment her action and thoughtfulness.

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... Following a young woman's death at a DAISY Hospital, her mother wrote to nominate a nurse who cared for her daughter. Her letter reads, in part: "When we received the late night phone call, it was one every parent fears most. 'We had to call an ambulance for Jill.' The SICU became my home. Jill was cared for in the most dignified ways, with special warmth and kindness. She was in a coma, even before she arrived at your hospital. As we waited for a miracle, I discovered how fortunate we were to be truly blessed with your nurses who were the most compassionate, professional, and skilled nurses I have ever come in contact with. As they cared for Jill, they told her exactly what they were doing, responding immediately to her monitor alerts, and meeting all her needs and more. They were completely dedicated to her care. In addition to Jill's care, they cared for my emotional and spiritual needs. They answered all our questions with patience and understanding, even whenI found myself asking the same questions again and again. I'm sure you can imagine the emotional roller coaster of a mother losing her only daughter. I will never forget what your nurses did for my family. I just wish Jill could thank you herself.

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... Nurse A is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. In addition to working in a hospital in Atlanta in Oncology, Urgent Care and Education, she serves as a school nurse consultant. One of her young patients was a nine year old boy, hospitalized for diabetes. She helped him return to school, educating him and his family about the care of his unusual complications. When his skin would not heal from checking his glucose levels, she provided a special glucometer to test his arm instead of his fingertips. The supplies for this instrument were too expensive for the family, so she bought a few months worth with her supply funds and arranged for the family to get supplies at no/low cost from the manufacturer. She is an outstanding example of a skilled, compassionate nurse who makes the difference in the lives of children.

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Quoted from a nomination by a patient's mother:
... My son had complications from a collapsed lung resulting in a pseudo aneurysm on the artery to his liver. The ventilator blew out his 2nd lung. He was heavily sedated and in and out of the OR daily. Things were looking grim. Nurse C cared for Paul for just one shift. In that time, she got him a new bed that had an air mattress to shift him around. She changed his dark room to one with a window. She washed and dried his hair. She taught us exercises to do on his limp arms and legs to speed his recovery. At that time, we couldn't fathom the idea that Paul might recover. She kept saying "slow & steady wins the race. More that what she did for Paul - she gave us hope. She didn't know how right she was. After an almost 3 month hospital stay with numerous setbacks and complications, Paul was released and returned home where he thrived. He has since started school, working part time and loving life. She made me realize where there is life there is hope, and with hope, anything is possible.

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... Mr. W was hospitalized as a result of suffering extensive burn injuries. He requires lengthy, complex daily dressing changes. Nurse A has been his advocate. She requests to be assigned to take care of him whenever she works. She has taken the time to write down all of the steps involved in his dressing change regimen, so that all nurses taking care of him will know how to do it. Taking into account Mr. W's preferences, Nurse A ensures that he retains some sense of control. Mr. W is often tearful due to the physical and emotional pain of this extensive injury. Nurse A is always patient with him, letting him verbalize his frustrations, listening and empathizing with him. She gained his trust, and he allowed her to try different materials on his burns that made dressing changes less painful and improved his healing. As part of the nomination submitted by colleagues of Nurse A, Mr. W wrote a personal note of endorsement.

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... Two brothers both had a severe immune deficiency disease, CGD, and were infected with aspergillus. Because of period of long hospitalization, Nurse "T had become close to the family and was their mother's primary emotional support system. When one brother was becoming more and more depressed after a 100 day hospitalization, "T reviewed all medications and treatments and arranged with the doctor a short time period when the patient could safely leave the hospital environment. The boy and his family could enjoy him being a "little boy away from multiple intravenous treatments and the hospital setting. "T also works with the blood bank, media, financial counselors, nurses, and medical staff to ensure a constant source of blood donors for the transfusions these special brothers require.

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... L is a neo-natal ICU nurse, caring for infants who sometimes weigh less than l pound. Among her gifts as a nurse is her unique ability to connect with families of these tiny babies. Her DAISY nomination describes how she sits with each new mom and guides her hand as she touches any part of the baby's body, tip of the finger, the toes, the head. "L makes it possible, in the midst of all the tubes, equipment, monitors, etc., for the mother to see her baby as a full, live human being and for the baby to feel the mother's presence. No wonder she was nominated by the mother of one of her tiny patients.

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... In nominating "C, a young RN described how "C is a valuable role model: Precepting the nurse who nominator her, "C told her, "I always give a bath to my most difficult patient so I can really get in there and assess them. These are the people who need the most TLC and just the basic human touch. The nominator wrote, "That really stuck with me! I try to do the same. This is a great way to develop the hard skills a nurse needs to "read her/his patients.

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... Nurse "D was the primary care nurse for a terminally ill 3 year old boy loved animals and who had spent much of his short life in the hospital. His young mother was having a difficult time, both emotionally and physically, visiting her son. With the mother's permission and help from hospital security and transportation, "D spent a day off taking the young patient to his first and only visit to the city zoo.

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... Nurse F is an Oncology Nurse whose nomination read, in part, as follows: Besides being an exceptional preceptor and colleague, Nurse F is a team-player who strives to achieve seamless patient care. The oncology unit usually hosts repeat admissions.. One of our most frequent visitors is a retired physician, who has numerous needs and his wife, who makes sure that everything is done to perfection for her husband. The patient's wife called, as usual, to alert the staff to her husband's pending visit. Nurse F called admitting to alert them to expect the patient. She ordered a special meal for the patient, and an isolation cart was ordered. She ordered a special bed. She alerted the chaplain to call in a Rabbi group he usually called when he came in. Special catheters which had to be ordered from back East were ordered for this patient. Nurse F did all this before the patient arrived. The wife was so thankful that she broke down in tears. This speaks highly of the great leadership and initiative from Nurse F as a leader, team player and advocate for quality patient care.

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