Assad, who has been working at the UC Davis Emergency Department since 2004, is the epitome of a DAISY Nurse. His kindness and compassion extend to his patients, their families, as well as his colleagues. I have worked with Assad for nearly eight years and can truly attest that he comes to work with an unwavering disposition- always giving it his all, compassionate to the max at all times no matter the circumstance, and never, ever complaining. He carries himself as a DAISY Nurse every single day (and this is not an exaggeration). He always puts his patients first, treats them with the utmost respect, and never passes judgment.

One day I was working in triage with him, and he was triaging a patient who came in with medics. The patient had been spitting and swearing at the medics and arrived causing a ruckus. The patient was extremely disrespectful to Assad, yelling demeaning racial slurs at him, among other things. Assad cared for and triaged this patient in the exact same manner that he would for his own family member. His approach actually led the patient to calm down and answer important questions, which in turn led Assad to triage him appropriately. The patient’s disrespect toward Assad had enraged me to the point where I almost stepped in but held off because Assad was handling it so expertly. After the patient left the triage bay, Assad never spoke ill of the patient. I approached Assad and, after making sure he was ok, asked him how he could remain so calm. Assad responded that his heart went out to the patient, who was sick, misunderstood, and in need of so much, adding that the patient was obviously in a worse place than himself.

On a different occasion, I was rounding in the area of the department where Assad was working; he also happened to have a nursing student with him that day. I overheard him explaining to the student that, “you never have just one patient,” proceeding to explain to the student that once your patient’s needs are met, and they have been made comfortable, you should always turn your attention to their families. He further explained that their families may have questions that could be answered, may be scared- needing reassurance, or may simply be thirsty or hungry and some water or snacks would mean the world to them.

Assad stretches his kindness as far as he can- and truly makes a difference with every interaction he has. Another time, I was walking past a room and saw Assad caring for a small, maybe 3-year-old child, who appeared to be chronically ill and very sick. The child was laying in the bed looking at Assad with panic in her eyes. The mother, sitting next to the child, was exuding fear that was palpable. Assad’s interaction with the patient-the gentle way in which he was caring for her- nearly brought tears to my eyes. I had no idea what he was saying, it was merely his body language and tender demeanor that reminded me of what we as nurses are and should always strive to be.

Assad is patient, kind, humble, non-judgmental, hard-working, and above all, compassionate. The way he carries himself truly inspires me, and our fellow coworkers (I don’t think anyone will deny this). He inspires us to take the time to go above and beyond for our patients, to be there for each other as colleagues, and really just to be better human beings. He represents what a DAISY Nurse is, all day, every day!