Danielle Reichenberg
October 2019
Danielle
Reichenberg
,
RN
ENT/Orthopedic Surgical Specialties
UAMS Medical Center
Little Rock
,
AR
United States

 

 

 

Danielle is one of F9's amazing nurses! First off, you can tell she is very passionate about nursing and the patients on F9. She demonstrates this every day by the care she gives, but there is one instance that sticks out.
We had a trach patient recently that drove himself to the hospital to have surgery. He had the keys to his vehicle and the clothes on his back, but his phone and other belongings were left in his truck. His stay with us was going to be at least five days long and during that time he needed information that he only had in his vehicle. Since this patient is considered a high acuity patient, leaving the floor without a nurse is not feasible.
Danielle had such empathy for the patient that she got a wheelchair and our trach travel cart (our trach patients cannot leave the unit without it) and wheeled the patient from the hospital to parking deck 3 and back. This may not seem like an extraordinary task, but the nurse has to take time away from the unit, wheel the patient in the wheelchair, and the travel cart with trach supplies across the entire campus up and down ramps, elevators, indoors and outdoors. If this doesn't show Danielle's dedication to her patients, I don't know what does.
Danielle is one of the most selfless nurses that I have ever worked with. Not only for her patients but also for her friends and co-workers. There are so many stories that I could think of how Danielle has gone above and beyond for her patients.
***
F9 recently had an ENT patient (Mr. B) that had become a "regular" to the unit and we had become very close to. Due to his diagnosis, he also became an orthopedic patient that we would see regularly as well. Danielle became close to him as well as his wife and teenage daughter. At times when the patient would become anxious about procedures and things involving his ever-complex care, Danielle was able to keep him calm and soothe him, unlike any other nurse. As you can imagine it was very sad when we learned of his passing shortly after his last admission.
Shortly after his passing, Danielle reached out to his wife to check on her. They all shared a close bond with farming and horseback riding in particular. Danielle invited his wife and daughter out to her house where they rode horses for the day and allowed Mr. B's family to take their mind off of the sadness of their situation. Danielle went above and beyond the call of duty as a nurse. She encompasses everything it means to be a DAISY Nurse.