My wife had the privilege of staying in the Perinatal Unit at the UCLA Medical Center this week. I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the contributions of an incredible member of your staff: Danielle Palmieri. We came to UCLA with my wife in a very precarious situation. After consulting with many of UCLA’s great doctors, we had to make the difficult decision to end my wife’s pregnancy in order to spare her life. Danielle was the Charge Nurse in Labor and Delivery on Friday when we needed to be prepared for surgery and throughout the early stages of recovery that day. Danielle consistently went above and beyond the call of duty to prepare us for surgery, to care for us and the baby my wife delivered, and to ensure our care was the best possible throughout our stay. My wife’s case was complex enough that the staff determined her surgery should be performed in the main operating room, which was managed by a different department. Danielle recognized that if she did not intervene, we would not have the opportunity to see our baby as we desired. Danielle personally went to the main operating room to take footprints, measurements, photos, and to ensure that the baby was preserved so that we could see him. Danielle put together a precious keepsake box including the photos, measurements, and footprints and gave it to us as a memento for our loss. She also gave us a teddy bear, dressed in scrubs, for our 5-year old son as a token for him to remember the little brother he did not get to see. Friday night, Danielle stayed beyond the end of her shift to help us transition to the Post-Op Unit on the 8th floor. She prepared the baby for viewing by tenderly wrapping him in a blanket with a tiny beanie and placing him in a basinet. She brought him up to our room and allowed us to have a special time of greeting our baby boy who was taken from us too soon. As she presented our baby boy to us, I could tell that she was genuinely moved by our loss, and she showed great affection, calling our boy “Little Man” as she placed him back in the basinet. We learned later that she stayed much later that night coordinating with all the parties involved to ensure that we would be able to spend similar time with the baby the following day. Despite Danielle’s best efforts, we did not get to view the baby in our room on Saturday as she had coordinated. She was assigned to a new case and unaware of the situation (I’m certain if she were aware, she would have intervened on our behalf). We instead viewed our baby in the morgue. When the viewing did not go as planned, and took an unfortunate turn, Danielle was notified and rushed to our rescue. She literally saved the day and restored my wife from near hysteria to a state of tenderly saying goodbye to our son. Her compassion and empathy were so genuine that any observer would have thought she was actually part of our family. Saturday night, Danielle helped us pack our things and personally transferred us back to the Perinatal Unit. She hand-picked Parisa as our nurse for the night shift, knowing my wife needed special care after her rough day. Danielle again stayed after her shift and spent time helping us get settled in our new room. Under the great care of Parisa and the rest of the Perinatal Unit, my wife made a dramatic turn in her recovery. Danielle came by to visit us on Tuesday and spent nearly an hour caring for my wife, making sure she had all that she needed. She was working in a different area of the Unit, but wanted to be sure she got to see my wife again before we were discharged from the hospital. As a manager myself, I have some superstars on my team, and love to hear stories of their successes. Danielle is truly a superstar on your nursing staff, and shines on a team that is filled with excellent nurses in the Perinatal Unit. That she excels on a team that is filled with remarkable nurses at an elite institution is a testament to her character, sense of responsibility, and genuine compassion for those in her care. I believe that the excellent staff is a reflection of great leadership, and would also like to commend you for developing a team with only A-players (I never saw anyone who was a B-player or below). Please pass this letter of praise onto Danielle, and if possible, find a proper avenue to properly recognize/reward her for her exemplary service. I would be more than happy to talk with you personally about our wonderful experience with your team, and highlight the contributions of many others on your staff.
Nominated by Patients, Husband and Wife
I am nominating Danielle Palmieri from the Perinatal Unit for the DAISY Award. Danielle is an extraordinary RN. Every shift I work with her and I have worked with her for almost 6 years. Danielle is an incredible nurse in every way - she is thoroughly knowledgeable regarding all "disease" processes on our unit. I can ask her a question about nearly everything and she will know the answer or work to find it for you. She is always willing to lend a hand and she is in the top 5 of nurses. I would want to help in any emergency situation. Besides superior nursing skills, she is super skilled with interacting with patients. She is so patient, understanding, and supportive. All of her patients love her. She can find common ground with anyone no matter how different they may be from her. Finally, Danielle is an amazing team player. She is always positive no matter what the situation. Working with Danielle makes my day better. She is an exceptional nurse and an exceptional person. I'm honored and lucky to have her to work with and look up to.
Nominated by UCLA Health System Staff RN