Christina Laney is the epitome of what the DAISY Award represents. Of course she is a skilled and compassionate nurse who is responsible in fulfilling her obligations and duties with charisma and a positive attitude to the patients. But it is what Christina does above and beyond her role as a nurse that is DAISY award worthy and helps keep several nurses from drowning.
As a new nurse, I face many challenges. Challenges that involve relationship conflicts with other nurses and techs, challenges with the technology and equipment and of course challenges with skills that I am still developing as a new nurse. Christina is a compassionate nurse role model for me and other nurses especially new graduates who often need that “life guard” to stop what they are doing to come to our aid. New nurses in a sense are like the patients at NCH, We are intimidated, confused, overwhelmed, and hoping an observing nurse has time to notice and help out.
Christina’s actions are likened to a life preserver being thrown out into the water pulling me out of the current to safer waters, teaching me, and even at times pep-talking me. Sometimes as expected weather gets stormy and the waves on the telemetry floor get big knocking me over. And staying afloat on the days when my patient load is complicated and heavy, gets tiring. But I can always count on one person, Christina, to look over and ask if I am doing alright and if I need a hand.
Christina has overheard other employees laughing at my expense. She had the courage and kindness to stand up to the group on my behalf saying she will not tolerate listening to that negativity. She is not afraid to stick up for the “underdog” when needed and be an advocate. She has an open heart and mind to listen if I have a problem. She asks me if a certain few people are still treating me disrespectfully. She shows me how to be more assertive. For example, if the assignment is too unfairly difficult she taught me to ask the charge nurse to switch out one of my challenging patients for a low maintenance patient, so I at least have one easy patient the next night. She has witnessed my most difficult patient assignments get spread out during the day shift to several nurses and then pulled back together for me at night. She pointed out that nurses often request a patient swap.
Christina took an hour of her time to help me with unfamiliar medical equipment. I spend many precious minutes problem solving equipment so as not to burden others during our busy shift. But Christina is always happy to assist. She demonstrated how to hang a new bag of morphine into a PCA pump and how to restart it. She also helped me problem solve an NG tube that was clogged and had fallen out of position and actually helped me insert a new NG tube. She is a wealth of knowledge and always willing to educate and assist.
I think Christina knows I am still in the learning process, and therefore doesn’t expect perfection. She anticipates I may have needs during the shift and always checks in with me. She doesn’t get sarcastic or role eyes at my questions. She encourages me to ask for help when I need it, and gives me hugs, smiles and encouragement when I look less than cheerful. She reminds me to delegate the little things and stand up for myself if I get resistance from the techs. She lent me money when I forgot my badge at home and when my fellow 4th floor nurse, who was in line behind me, didn’t even bat an eye after I stated to the cashier to hold my food because I have to run back upstairs, grab my car keys, got to my car, get my wallet and come back to pay for the food. When she talks me through starting an IV on a patient with tiny, sinking veins, she gives me all the credit when we are finished and insists that I didn’t need her help at all even when I clearly really did need her help locating the vein and “saving” the stick at the last second.
New nurses are like the patients we care for at NCH. My diagnoses are Anxiety and knowledge deficit RT new environment, new job roles, and unfamiliar medical equipment…..AEB, “deer caught in the headlights expression”, sweaty palms, tachycardia and statement of “I’m kind of sinking over here”, secondary to a nursing career with less than one year experience. The interventions needed for my diagnosis are exactly what Christina does. Similarly to the patients, a new nurse needs an encourager, teacher, advocate, and role model to improve our ability to stay afloat. We as employees at NCH are also clientele of NCH and we are clientele of each other. So it is imperative to treat each other how we want to be treated.
I hope you see how Christina is a great candidate for the DAISY Award. She truly deserves it and I know several other new nurses that would agree with this nomination. The world of nursing would be a more safe, educational, and positive swim in the ocean if more nurses followed her example.