Carina Oakland
June 2016
Carina
Oakland
,
RN
Oncology
Providence Holy Cross Medical Center
Mission Hills
,
CA
United States

 

 

 

Carina stepped up to help me, as an advocate, in getting me the follow-up care I needed at a rehab facility, and gave me information on different pain medications that might suite me, as I am not familiar with the types of drugs. I needed to find a suitable drug that would possibly work with my inflammatory bowel disease and that would work for pain after my knee surgery. Carina shared her knowledge of pain medications that may work best for someone with my condition especially when I needed to switch from a morphine IV to an oral pill. She also stepped in and acted for my best interests like when she told my attending doctor I was living alone and needed a rehab facility instead of going straight home after surgery, something my surgeons pushed for. When I expressed that I wanted an advocate, Carina did the best job ever of handling the situation, delaying my move to rehab when I knew I was not ready, all the while, helping me decide what pain medications would work for me with my other health issues.
Carina made it possible for me to have much less stress - by coordinating with the rest of my care team, when I felt left out of the process and not in control of my own care.
If every nurse was as compassionate as Carina, the world would be a much better place especially when you need a hospital and a caring nurse.
***
Carina joined our Oncology team a year ago and prior to that had worked as an outpatient Infusion Center Nurse. She expressed a desire to transition to the inpatient setting so she could spend time with her patients, caring for them over the course of their treatment and hospital stay. She wanted to better understand their complex needs and teach and support them and their families through a challenging time. Carina is motivated, eager to learn, always positive and happy and goes above and beyond to advocate for her patients and fellow coworkers.
She does not let a stressful day affect her mood or upset the professionalism which she consistently maintains. We are proud of Carina for receiving the DAISY recognition as it represents the kindness and compassion for which she cares for everyone she engages with.