I would like to nominate Mariam Dykheng, RN, for the Lifetime Achievement Award for her years of dedication and service to the NICU patient population and their families. Mariam is one of the most dedicated and hardworking nurses I’ve ever known. She’s a leader, a mentor, and a strong advocate for nurses, patients, and patient safety. Unafraid and steadfast, she champions those under her leadership and under her care. With nurses, she regularly jumps into critical patient situations to provide her expertise and capable hands in order to push on towards favorable outcomes. When she sees nurses struggling at the bedside, she will pick up any slack and try to show and teach strategies that the nurse can use in future instances for greater success. Not only does Mariam do this with nurses and ancillary staff, but our medical providers as well, who also turn to her for guidance and advice. With over 30+ years of experience at the bedside and as a charge nurse, she’s a well-respected and treasured part of the team. Mariam is a staunch advocate of patient safety and quality care. She is vocal and tenacious when she sees or feels that anyone she works with is not giving 100 percent or being remiss about their actions while on duty. Her first priority is patient safety, and she has no issue with trying to challenge or change actions she may feel are reckless. She has been known to go above and beyond when she feels strongly about the care of a patient. She will do everything in her power to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Mariam has had a truly profound effect on me and my own nursing care. Knowing and watching her over the last 17+ years has given me the motivation to excel as a nurse and to emulate her career. When I first started my career at NMCSD, I was somewhat timid and unsure of myself in this new environment. She was my charge nurse for a lot of shifts early in my orientation. I remember after finding out I had some experience in NICU, her giving me challenging assignments with my preceptor every time I worked. I used to hate it. But after a few weeks on shift, I realized I was actually holding my own and being challenged. I clearly remember feeling like a flame was being ignited in me, and I started to want to actually have these harder patients. I was motivated and ready to take on more challenges earlier than I expected.

Another time I recall her having an impact was when we were in a code situation. It’s always stressful in a code, no matter what anyone says or how many times you’re in one. But I remember we were active and she was charge nurse. She was pushing meds, asking questions, prompting providers to advance through the algorithms, starting a piv, and being a gopher. She was constantly moving, watching, and supporting the team when she saw there was confusion or stagnation in our efforts. She was so dynamic and amazing! I learned to be calm, to observe, and to react. Most of all, not to be afraid to ask and speak out when I notice something different from my experience.

As a mentor and teacher, she’s unselfish in sharing her knowledge and generous in providing opportunities to learn and excel. As a PICC nurse in the NICU, her knowledge is invaluable. She loves to share what she knows and educate. From her, I’ve learned how to position patients for easier and more successful insertions, rewire malfunctioning central lines, as well as many don’t-do’s. I’ve improved my technique and sterile practice through her guidance. One time she placed a line that ended up in some random vessel in the abdomen, so she went to each and every PICC nurse to show the location and share details, so hopefully it would not happen to anyone else! One of my very first dressings on a PICC I placed was, to be honest, a rushed piece of work. My preceptor was telling me to hurry up and said what I did was fine, even though my gut told me otherwise. She saw it the next day and then created a go-by demonstrating how to correctly dress a PICC line. She didn’t shame or name me, although I knew she was doing it because of what I did. But this one action ingrained in me that 1) if I don’t feel good about something, I need to correct it, and 2) not to be afraid to advocate for myself. She is also very active in the evolution of our policies and the education of PICC nurses. A year and a half before retirement, she even took an ultrasound-guided PICC class to further her education and knowledge base to hopefully find out new methods to use in our unit. Working with her as a charge nurse has also improve my practice. I used to be somewhat unsure when doing some charge relief duties. But watching her advocate for our unit and patients has eliminated any anxiety and “get over” any hesitation I have when dealing with once-difficult situations. Her guidance and advice gave me confidence to be strong as a relief charge and to trust my own experience and beliefs.

In 17+ years, Mariam has been a such an active part in shaping who I am as a nurse, as I’m sure she’s done with many of my colleagues. I can confidently say that I’m not the only one who feels she deserves acknowledgment for her career and her achievements during her time in the NMCSD NICU. She’s never been about recognition or acknowledgment. Her primary focus in her career has been on the lives and safety of her patients and the growth of her nurses and colleagues. She’s a force to be reckoned with and deserves to be a DAISY Award recipient.