Maria
Dakan
June 2010
Maria
Dakan
,
RN, BSN
Pulmonary
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Los Angeles
,
CA
United States

 

 

 

Maria Dakan: June DAISY Award Winner at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Maria Dakan, RN, BSN, received the coveted DAISY Award for June in a ceremony held on June 28. She was honored by a large group of her co-workers during an afternoon tea party on 5 East. A conference room filled with well-wishers and friends greeted Maria as she opened the door in complete surprise. Maria joins the many other DAISY nurses at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and across the country that are celebrated each month through the national nonprofit DAISY Foundation.

Maria’s nomination form was filled with praise for her, professionally and personally. Here’s an excerpt:

“I would like to nominate Maria Dakan for the DAISY Award. I have worked with Maria for 22 years here at CHLA. I feel this is a person who is like the unsung hero. She has been working on 5 East her entire nursing career and I can say she is such a wonderful role model for everyone on our floor. She is so clinically smart that young and experienced nurses go to her for help on the floor. She is an awesome resource and just knows so much. She is always there to help anyone, and when you have a patient who is not doing well and she is in charge you have a sense of comfort that you will survive the day because she will be there when you need it.

“She helps without even asking and is always a step ahead of you when you are swamped — she has already been there to do a task for you. She is admired by everyone and has such talent for being a great listener to the nurses. I think she is so fair and really full of wisdom about things.

“Our patients and families love her and they know she will speak to them with genuine kindness and understanding. She is truly an advocate for the patients and gets to know each family and patient when she is in charge. I once had a patient who loved helicopters and he so wanted to go to the roof of the hospital to see one of the transport helicopters. Well, she was the one who coordinated it with our transport team to really make it happen. It took a couple of days, but she persisted, and finally he was able to go and see the helicopter! It was an awesome sight and this young boy was so excited. She will go out of her way to make our patients happy and we all appreciate everything she does with grace and style! She really deserves this award, and it is long overdue. She is my hero.”