Hailey M Turner
October 2025
Hailey M
Turner
,
RN
NICU
Emory Decatur Hospital
Decatur
,
GA
United States
Hailey immediately jumped in and offered to take that patient, even though she had not done a transfer before and was nervous.
I've been meaning to write this for quite some time, and I think now is the perfect time to do it. I want to recommend an exceptional young nurse, Hailey Turner, for a DAISY Award. Hailey has dreamed of being a NICU nurse for as long as she can remember and is not shy to let everyone know it. Her joy and eagerness in every moment have been infectious, and everyone on our floor is happy to see her and share their wisdom.
There are so many moments where she has gone above and beyond but allow me to share my favorite: There was a night a few months ago when I was in charge and Hailey was on our A-side with the critical babies. We were extremely short-staffed, had many sick babies on our floor, and were pending in labor and delivery. I had one patient as charge, and Hailey had two or three.
Right after shift change, an infant on the B-side started showing seizure activity and needed to be transferred to the A-side for stabilization and transport. Hailey immediately jumped in and offered to take that patient, even though she had not done a transfer before and was nervous. I was there to assist, and together, we got the baby safely stabilized and discharged. After the baby left, Hailey asked me if she could have my patient, and I gladly told her yes. Not long after, the code button went off for a 21.4-week-old infant, who could potentially be a higher gestation as the mother had limited to no prenatal care. Before this, we knew this delivery was imminent, as I had gotten a report on this mother a little earlier, who had attempted to self-terminate the pregnancy and was in labor.
Hailey asked me so many questions about what to do as the primary nurse and triple checked to make sure she would have all her supplies ready. At the delivery, the infant was unfortunately too premature to resuscitate, and once mom was informed, she chose not to hold her baby in his final moments and instead went to sleep. As everyone filed out of the room, Hailey lingered. I saw her eyes fill with tears, and she asked me if we could stay and hold him as he passed. I said, of course. Together with one of our patient care techs, we sat on the bench together in the L&D room and held that sweet baby as he passed. We sang to him, we cried, gave him a name, and told him about heaven and what he might see. We stayed for about 45 minutes until the mobile monitor flatlined, and he was gone.
Although it was the mother's decision to terminate, we have seen time and time again babies just about his size and gestation go on to be resuscitated and live fulfilling lives - they come visit us every year at our preemie party. Even though we knew he wouldn't make it, I watched Hailey bravely honor a little life. She is a phenomenal nurse. Thank you.
There are so many moments where she has gone above and beyond but allow me to share my favorite: There was a night a few months ago when I was in charge and Hailey was on our A-side with the critical babies. We were extremely short-staffed, had many sick babies on our floor, and were pending in labor and delivery. I had one patient as charge, and Hailey had two or three.
Right after shift change, an infant on the B-side started showing seizure activity and needed to be transferred to the A-side for stabilization and transport. Hailey immediately jumped in and offered to take that patient, even though she had not done a transfer before and was nervous. I was there to assist, and together, we got the baby safely stabilized and discharged. After the baby left, Hailey asked me if she could have my patient, and I gladly told her yes. Not long after, the code button went off for a 21.4-week-old infant, who could potentially be a higher gestation as the mother had limited to no prenatal care. Before this, we knew this delivery was imminent, as I had gotten a report on this mother a little earlier, who had attempted to self-terminate the pregnancy and was in labor.
Hailey asked me so many questions about what to do as the primary nurse and triple checked to make sure she would have all her supplies ready. At the delivery, the infant was unfortunately too premature to resuscitate, and once mom was informed, she chose not to hold her baby in his final moments and instead went to sleep. As everyone filed out of the room, Hailey lingered. I saw her eyes fill with tears, and she asked me if we could stay and hold him as he passed. I said, of course. Together with one of our patient care techs, we sat on the bench together in the L&D room and held that sweet baby as he passed. We sang to him, we cried, gave him a name, and told him about heaven and what he might see. We stayed for about 45 minutes until the mobile monitor flatlined, and he was gone.
Although it was the mother's decision to terminate, we have seen time and time again babies just about his size and gestation go on to be resuscitated and live fulfilling lives - they come visit us every year at our preemie party. Even though we knew he wouldn't make it, I watched Hailey bravely honor a little life. She is a phenomenal nurse. Thank you.