Daria Gusakova
February 2021
Daria
Gusakova
,
RN
Ellison 7 Surgical
Massachusetts General Hospital

 

 

 

Daria was so dear that she would check in with me before she finished her shift just to say something encouraging.
I was admitted with an abdominal blockage. I found it to be very painful. Unfortunately, little can be done but wait and of course, living with a nasogastric tube is just miserable. It took me a week to get myself on fluids, so I could continue my recovery at home; I was fortunate to have Daria as my nurse. What an angel!
Firstly, let me talk about her ability to connect. Nurses have so much to get done. Daria is very efficient and handled her workload well. What is so special is that, while she was doing work, she gave me her attention. She found a way to connect with me personally and I appreciated that very much.
Since I was in the hospital during COVID, I did not want my family coming to visit - it was not worth the risk. Sadly though, that made me feel very isolated, so having Daria be genuinely emotionally available provided great comfort and aided my healing. Daria was so dear that she would check in with me before she finished her shift just to say something encouraging.
As for what I can see about Daria's nursing skills, I can tell you that she never let my fluids complete, resulting in the IV pump alarming. She would accurately estimate when the bag would be done, and in she'd come with another right before it would have been needed. That type of attention to detail is extraordinary.
Daria kept me motivated. I had to walk and move. But for me, with an abdominal blockage, it was difficult to be a self-starter. Daria set goals for me to walk four or five times during her shift. She'd check in with me and give me a check in the box (on my board) when I walked. It provided me with the motivation to move, which was no easy task.
All in all, Daria performed her work effectively-with a smile and an encouraging word. She is truly an angel, and I'm thankful she was assigned to me. Thank you so much, Daria!