It is my privilege to nominate Mikaela Noltner, RN as a deserving recipient of The DAISY Award.During a short inpatient stay at Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital, Mikalea stood out as a true professional --- a front-line hero who selflessly goes to her job every day to provide exceptional, compassionate care during a pandemic that puts her own well-being at risk. After being placed in isolation, I had anticipated my care to be cold and distant. What I received was surprisingly the opposite. I constantly felt as if I was the recipient of complete, personalized patient-centered care when communication and interpersonal skills are excellent. I would surmise that she is well-liked and respected by her patient and co-workers because of who she simply is. She is a genuine, hard working person. Mikaela's refreshing demeanor and positive attitude allowed me to feel more at ease and less anxious about being in the hospital.
A quality that is worth pointing out about Mikaela is her natural gift to practice the "art" of nursing. She has clinical skills to competently care for her patients without sacrificing her ability to treat patients with compassion, respect, and dignity. I am sure she is busy with her other patients, but she never seemed to be in a rush. I appreciated the time she took to keep me in the loop with the treatment plan by letting me know what was going on and what to expect and when. She would periodically check up on me and how I was doing.
I had been admitted just prior to the shift change with a whirlwind of activity going around me. When things had finally settled down, I informed Mikaela that I had not yet received my dinner tray. In fact, I had not eaten for nearly 12 hours and was very hungry. She promptly brought me a warm dinner tray that I ordered before her shift started. She apologized that the lemon ice melted a bit. She had saved the melted lemon ice in the freezer for a later time, and I noticed that it was replaced with a frozen popsicle. It's these little things that add up and leave a long-lasting impression on people. For someone, at the right time in the right situation, something as simple as a frozen popsicle seems extraordinary! What I most valued was that Mikaela gave me a tiny glimpse of the wonderful person she is. I learned she is a dog-lover and a Packer fan, just like me! I am grateful to have made her acquaintance, even if it were only for a brief period of time.
For her professionalism, kindness and hard work and effort during a stressful time for me, I owe her a debt of gratitude. The biggest compliment that I can give to Mikaela is that if I had the ability to choose a Nurse to care for my patients, family members, or myself again, I would choose someone just like her. I have no doubt she will continually prove to be a role-model in the nursing field and a valuable asset to Froedert & Medical College of Wisconsin. If we are truly committed to exemplary service and a commitment to excellence, we would do well to find, support and retain more individuals like her.
I look out my office and see a "Heroes Work Here" sign that stand just outside my office. I begrudgingly acknowledge its presence, because I know that behind the scenes that "true" heroes, like Mikalea Noltner, work across the street and throughout our hospital network providing extraordinary care to our sickest patients day in and day out.