I would like to thank my nurse and share my story; Alex Ervin is the definition of an Emergency Room Nurse. It is hard to find a more deserving nurse for the DAISY Award. Alex is a team player, and before I took the role of CPL in the ED, it was a pleasure to work alongside Alex, clinically. I knew when Alex was in my pod I was never alone, no matter how busy either of us were. Alex is the type of nurse who doesn't know how to say no to helping her coworkers. No task is too great or difficult. But she isn't just good to her team, Alex is a kind nurse to her patients as well.
Alex frequently volunteers to work in what is arguably the busiest areas of our department; triage. She consoles patients who have waited a long time. She listens to patients, even when they are reiterating their frustrations for which she cannot help. She never cuts anyone off or demeans their feelings. She is kind and has the patience for those who are angry. She tries to start workups for the patients she knows will need more than what our triage protocols allow us, as nurses, to do independently. Sometimes that can mean going out of her way to call back to the physicians and rationalizing a CT scan order, or pain medication.
Alex is a natural leader in the department, as well. When in charge, she runs a tight ship. She is always on top of where she needs to allocate resources. She is strong at having difficult conversations, when necessary. Alex is also a change agent in the department. If she is worried or sees a process as ineffective, she doesn't just bring the problem to management's attention, but also ideas for solutions to the issue. She actively participates in triage, ResCCU, and the Unit Council committees as well, presenting ideas on how to improve the department. Recently, she took over leading the triage committee and has done extensive work with cutting down our door to EKG times.
One memory of working with Alex I would like to share, is when I had a patient come in who was septic. Alex had just finished transferring her patient to the ICU and had been in their room all night up until that point. Rather than catching up on her own documentation, she helped me with my new patient. I told her to go catch up, I would be ok, but she continuously refused, saying, 'charting can happen any time'. She stayed almost an hour late that morning. I couldn't help but wonder if I would have been so selfless in the same situation. But that is just who Alex is; a nurse who is able to put patients and coworkers before herself. She never boasts, never looks for credit or recognition, never reminds you of all the times she helped you, she just does it because it is the right thing to do. Alex is an inspiration to her team. You would be hard pressed to find a more deserving nurse for the DAISY Award.