January 2014
Julie
Stauffer
,
RN
IMCU
Salem Hospital
Salem
,
OR
United States
Julie is a phenomenal example of what a nurse should strive to become. I have had many interactions with Julie during heart failure rounds on IMCU and from the very first conversation I was incredibly impressed by her desire for knowledge, compassion and impressive understanding of the overall "clinical picture". Julie has been a nurse since 2008 and it is apparent that she has transformed her skills to be a top notch nurse with excellent clinical skills. A few recent events with her have led me to write this nomination, one which she deserves greatly.
Julie is a wonderful patient advocate and on numerous occasions I have seen her go the extra mile to make sure that her patients' wishes are being heard and if not, she is professionally persistent in her communication to physicians and other staff to make sure they all understand what and why the patient wants a particular path. Her listening skills and compassion for wanting to do the right thing every day is not only commendable but should be an example for all nurses at Salem Health.
A patient was nearing the end of her disease trajectory and was sharing with Julie that she was ready to "move on". The patient's S.O. was not ready for this and was insisting that everything be done. Julie discussed this situation with Care Management, Palliative Care, and our ethicist, and a meeting was scheduled. The patient was finally heard and was discharged with hospice, just as she wished. Julie's compassion is unstoppable!
The second recent event involved a heart failure patient who was admitted the prior evening. She came onto her day shift and was very concerned with how the patient was doing. She had paged the MD and spoken to them a few times but was still concerned about the recent lab tests. I happened to be rounding and she expressed her frustration and fear for the patient, not wanting to have to transfer them to a higher level of care. She used her powerful social and professional skills by explaining to the patient the importance of wearing the CPAP mask she had refused all night. The patient was quickly agreeable and the mask was placed on the patient. This likely prevented an adverse event as the ABGs were had not been heading in the right direction. Julie jumps at every opportunity to provide exemplary service not only to her patients but also to peers, physicians and all other ancillary staff.
Julie is committed to excellence every minute she is working and deserves to be honored by the DAISY Award!!
Julie is a wonderful patient advocate and on numerous occasions I have seen her go the extra mile to make sure that her patients' wishes are being heard and if not, she is professionally persistent in her communication to physicians and other staff to make sure they all understand what and why the patient wants a particular path. Her listening skills and compassion for wanting to do the right thing every day is not only commendable but should be an example for all nurses at Salem Health.
A patient was nearing the end of her disease trajectory and was sharing with Julie that she was ready to "move on". The patient's S.O. was not ready for this and was insisting that everything be done. Julie discussed this situation with Care Management, Palliative Care, and our ethicist, and a meeting was scheduled. The patient was finally heard and was discharged with hospice, just as she wished. Julie's compassion is unstoppable!
The second recent event involved a heart failure patient who was admitted the prior evening. She came onto her day shift and was very concerned with how the patient was doing. She had paged the MD and spoken to them a few times but was still concerned about the recent lab tests. I happened to be rounding and she expressed her frustration and fear for the patient, not wanting to have to transfer them to a higher level of care. She used her powerful social and professional skills by explaining to the patient the importance of wearing the CPAP mask she had refused all night. The patient was quickly agreeable and the mask was placed on the patient. This likely prevented an adverse event as the ABGs were had not been heading in the right direction. Julie jumps at every opportunity to provide exemplary service not only to her patients but also to peers, physicians and all other ancillary staff.
Julie is committed to excellence every minute she is working and deserves to be honored by the DAISY Award!!