We have the pleasure of working with Maria Ursula Lingley and witness daily her compassion for patients. Maria is hard working nurse who is always willing to help everyone and maintains a positive and motivated disposition that is inspirational. She goes beyond extra miles for the patients and her co-workers. The following are examples of the Maria's extraordinary commitment to patient-centered care:
"Maria, we need help here!" In the Ultrasound hallway of the Ob/Gyn clinic a patient is slumped over in a wheelchair, very pale and close to fainting. As she is lifted onto an exam bed it is obvious she is bleeding and needs urgent care. While decisions are being made about transferring the patient, Maria coordinates co-workers in bringing the crash cart with emergency supplies, checking vital signs, getting IV therapy started, re-arranging the work assignment within the clinic to free up nurses to care for the patient. When medication is needed, and time is critical, she herself runs to the labor & delivery unit to get it. She is there for the patient through all of it, talking to her, reassuring her, squeezing her hand. The patient stabilizes as she receives the close care she needs. When ready for transfer, Maria pushes the stretcher with a co-worker in order to stay with the patient for as long as possible, even though this means there won't be enough time for a lunch break. When the patient is settled in her room, Maria gives her a hug and the patient smiles back in thanks.
We work in an outpatient clinic, but emergencies can happen even there, and when they do, it is reassuring to have Maria there. Her focus is on the patient and their family and what they need at any given time. This is just one example we have chosen to demonstrate that Maria provides the "extraordinary compassionate and skillful care every day" that the DAISY Award recognizes and why we are nominating her for this prestigious award.
For Maria it is all about making a connection - to make a difference. She consistently demonstrates that this can be done in so many ways.
For patients and their families: Taking all the levels of Arabic classes given by the hospital has meant that she can communicate with patients and their families without needing an interpreter most of the time, and they frequently express their surprise, and their appreciation of this. Questions can be answered, concerns addressed, a closer connection established. It means that when removing clips in the nurse clinic, she can address concerns about breastfeeding, pumping, etc. She has co-developed numerous education materials including information brochures about the Ob and the Gyn clinics, SVD & Cesarean Section Pathways so patients and their families know what to expect, information on Gyn procedures such as Colposcopy, Endometrial Biopsy, and brochures on Clexane and Heparin administration for pregnant patients. She developed materials for and promotes the clinic's Antenatal Classes.
For co-workers: Maria shares what she knows and learns. Being the fetal monitoring resource for the clinic includes giving in-services to all staff, instructing staff new to the procedure, doing check-offs, editing the iLearn Fetal Monitoring course, and keeping her own knowledge current by doing an ANA recognized monthly on-line PeriFacts course. She has co-developed guidelines for nurses new to working in the clinic, and guidelines used by physicians and nurses for receiving outside slides for review in Gyn, preparing a patient for an US guided procedure, and ordering treatments in DMU. This reduces errors, saves time, and provides the patient with the quality of care they need. She has given in-services on topics as diverse as "Putting Together a Professional Portfolio," "Group B Strep Screening in Pregnancy," and "Stress and Relaxation.
Maria was the clinic Recruitment & Retention Rep for several years, co-developed the clinic's "Thank You" board and started the Ob/Gyn Clinic Annual Recognition Awards. She updates the MSDS and instructs co-workers not just about what this is but also why it is important. Being the first to be evaluated using the new EPM, she shared her experience and assisted co-workers to prepare for their evaluation. The Ob ultrasound department is located within the clinic and Maria recently edited their new "Ultrasound Scan Guidelines" using it as an opportunity to work collaboratively and to learn from the experience.
For the hospital and Community: Realizing from the start the importance of the Magnet journey to improve not just the quality of care but also the care environment, Maria became a Magnet champion. This journey meant change, a new concept, new terminology. A successful WHN kick-off event was held, a series of bulletin boards produced over the years of the journey to share information and update co-workers, she developed a PowerPoint "Travel Guide for the Journey to Excellence," in-services were presented in the clinic and other WHN units, and a poster "The Journey to Excellence" was co-developed by Maria and a colleague that was used in roll-ups throughout the hospital and is still on the Info Gateway site under "Magnet starts with me." The clinic has participated in several Quality Days and she has always been one of the co-developers of brochures and posters. Posters about Breastfeeding and the hospital's recognition by UNICEF & WHO as a "Baby Friendly Hospital" are on the clinic walls in Arabic and English and patients and their families are seen reading the information presented as "Did You Know" and a crossword puzzle. For the Ob/Gyn Clinic's Cervical Cancer Awareness Day held in January 2016, she again co-developed information brochures, a bookmark, and a poster. Wanting to have a design that would attract attention and get the message about the importance of screening across, she co-developed the theme "Having a Pap Test takes less time than putting on your make-up! It only takes a few minutes…and could save your life!" Putting those words together with a design including pictures of make-up worked. The bookmarks will continue to be given out to patients in the clinic and the poster will be on the waiting room wall. Her comment, "if this helps prevent one woman from getting cervical cancer then its all worth it!"
It is a joy working with Maria because we have witnessed her excellent nursing skills and compassionate attitude. She always displays a genuine happy, upbeat, and positive attitude around patients. She comes to work with a bright smile and leaves at the end of her shift still with a bright smile even when her day was tough in ensuring her patient's needs were met. She always thanks the staff for good teamwork. Maria is an extraordinary person and clinician who epitomizes nursing at its best.