Patient interactions can naturally be difficult, and it takes a skilled nurse to defuse potentially dangerous situations.

Bri and I had a situation in PACU yesterday that she handled masterfully. Briefly, a post-operative encounter with a patient turned contentious when the patient became combative and was at risk of harming himself and others. A Code was appropriately called, but Bri remained at the bedside during the entire situation, never losing her composure or her focus on the patient’s well-being and the safety of staff. With her assistance, we were successful in defusing his anger and bringing him to a separate area of recovery to allow for a fuller assessment.

As would be expected, a carousel of professionals was brought in and out of the room to determine the next best course of action for this patient. The entire time, Bri could be seen at the bedside, negotiating between various doctors, staff, and even family to treat the patient and ensure that his well-being and dignity were intact. She remained the primary point of contact from the time of initial placement in PACU until we were finally able to safely return him to his inpatient room – no mean feat on a Thursday afternoon in surgical recovery. This is, by necessity, an extremely short summary of the entire event. In my opinion, Bri was the deciding factor in maintaining a calm atmosphere to allow this patient to recover appropriately and to ensure the safety and security of her fellow nurses.

We are fortunate to have nurses like her – an outstanding combination of medical intelligence, situational awareness, and dedication to her patients. I believe that she exemplifies the exact qualities for which the DAISY Award was created.