Dawn Harp
May 2025
Dawn
Harp
,
ADN
Surgical Services-Float Pool
Sutter Health Memorial Medical Center
Modesto
,
CA
United States
Dawn not only provided comfort and hope to the patient who was admittedly frightened, but also to his wife and daughter, who were visibly just as frightened.
Dawn was recovering a 57-year-old male patient who had undergone a serious cardiac surgery. Dawn offers nursing expertise in recovering various complex cardiac cases. Dawn had a baseline neurological assessment from the preop nurse, which included a right-sided weakness from a previous stroke. This patient was slowly recovering and within 20-30 minutes of being in PACU phase one recovery, she was able to communicate with the patient and get him to follow commands for her post-case neuro assessment. Even though the patient was very sleepy from sedation/ anesthesia, he presented with a flaccid right side, right facial droop, and minimal words, if any. Some novice RNs may have delayed the assessment and deemed the change in neuro findings inconclusive, related to the patient’s mental status and delayed recovery from sedation. Dawn did not delay what she felt was true and aggressively pursued a rapid response call/ stroke alert for this patient.
The neuro team, cardiac surgeon, cardiac PA, and others arrived expeditiously and assessed the patient’s neurological status again. The neurological team concurred with Dawn’s timely and accurate assessment. The patient was ordered stat labs and a stat head CT. The patient was then admitted to the ICU, where further care was rendered. Neuro symptoms slowly improved but have not returned to his baseline “normal’ preoperative status. Dawn remained by his side throughout the process and kept talking to him, giving him words of constant hope and encouragement. I know this because I assisted Dawn in getting this patient to the CT scanner and then to the ICU.
We reached his unaware wife and daughter, who were in the recovery waiting room. We facilitated getting them to him and fully kept them updated as a loving and caring person would. Dawn not only provided comfort and hope to the patient who was admittedly frightened, but also to his wife and daughter, who were visibly just as frightened. Dawn returned to the patient’s ICU room a few days later to check on him. He quickly recognized her voice before he saw her days later. This patient told her that he hung on to her voice and words throughout her initial care with him. Tearfully, he told her how important her words were as he was so frightened inside. Dawn told me her updated experience, and her caring emotion would have brought a tear to anyone’s face. Angels and nurses are closely related, and she was both this day.
*This is Dawn's 2nd DAISY Award!
The neuro team, cardiac surgeon, cardiac PA, and others arrived expeditiously and assessed the patient’s neurological status again. The neurological team concurred with Dawn’s timely and accurate assessment. The patient was ordered stat labs and a stat head CT. The patient was then admitted to the ICU, where further care was rendered. Neuro symptoms slowly improved but have not returned to his baseline “normal’ preoperative status. Dawn remained by his side throughout the process and kept talking to him, giving him words of constant hope and encouragement. I know this because I assisted Dawn in getting this patient to the CT scanner and then to the ICU.
We reached his unaware wife and daughter, who were in the recovery waiting room. We facilitated getting them to him and fully kept them updated as a loving and caring person would. Dawn not only provided comfort and hope to the patient who was admittedly frightened, but also to his wife and daughter, who were visibly just as frightened. Dawn returned to the patient’s ICU room a few days later to check on him. He quickly recognized her voice before he saw her days later. This patient told her that he hung on to her voice and words throughout her initial care with him. Tearfully, he told her how important her words were as he was so frightened inside. Dawn told me her updated experience, and her caring emotion would have brought a tear to anyone’s face. Angels and nurses are closely related, and she was both this day.
*This is Dawn's 2nd DAISY Award!