It's difficult to isolate one specific event in which Catherine went above and beyond for a particular patient. She exceeds even the highest expectations of care on a daily basis to every patient that she comes into contact with. We work with a population of patients who come in for procedures that involve the heart. Because of that, our patients tend to be very anxious, some even terrified, on admission. She puts their minds at ease by taking the time to explain every single step of the procedure and giving them the opportunity to ask questions. She routinely kneels on the floor beside stretchers to personalize communication and holds patients' hands to comfort them. It is truly an accomplishment that, after so many years of procedural nursing, she has not lost sight of the fact that this is not a routine experience for patients although it is routine to us. For Catherine, every patient is made to feel valued and respected. The following story is one of many, many examples of Catherine's dedication to our patients. To understand the situation, it is important to know that the Cardiac Cath Lab and Electrophysiology Lab are two separate entities with separate nursing staff. One evening, a patient came through the Emergency Room having a heart attack. He was emergently brought to the Cath Lab. Catherine, along with the Electrophysiology Lab staff, was leaving for the day and saw that the patient's wife was alone in the waiting room and in total distress. Catherine sat in the waiting room with the patient's wife until she received an update that her husband was going to be ok. She deeply and sincerely cares about the overall wellbeing of patients as well as their families.
Catherine not only sets a really high standard in the care of patients, but she is also a truly perfect co-worker. Her spirit and enthusiasm are contagious, especially her excitement after each successful procedure. The love she has for her work is inspiring. Additionally, she genuinely cares about the nurses she works with and always makes sure their needs are met before her own. This means voluntarily working short-staffed, staying late in the evenings, and coming in to work on her days off. One example of her dedication to her co-workers happened after a co-worker's aunt was placed on comfort care at Upstate late one afternoon. This particular co-worker was involved in a procedure and unable to leave work to see her aunt as she was part of the emergency on-call team that evening. After Catherine had heard about this, she immediately went to take her place in the procedure as there was nobody else who could have done it at that time of day. Her co-worker's aunt passed away the next day and Catherine's selflessness is still remembered by that co-worker. Having worked in Cardiology for decades, she has an overwhelming amount of knowledge. She shares this knowledge with those she mentors in the most encouraging and supportive way. She lays the groundwork for a happy and satisfying working environment. She is the epitome of what a nurse should strive to become. Catherine is planning to retire in the Spring of 2019 and we feel that that the honor of The DAISY Award should belong to this dedicated, compassionate, and most-deserving person.