Brianna Dennison
May 2024
Brianna
Dennison
,
BSN, RN
MSICCU
UMC Health System
Lubbock
,
TX
United States

 

 

 

Not only did Bri listen to her patient, but she offered a helping hand after she was off the clock. Bri took it upon herself to meet the patient at their home, and she personally carried their home oxygen equipment up two flights of stairs.
An advocate. Caring. Compassionate. Wiling to go above and beyond. That is what comes to my mind lately when I think of Brianna Dennison. Bri has been a registered nurse for less than a year, but that has not stopped her from going above and beyond for her patients. Over the past week, there are two separate encounters between Bri and her patients that encouraged me to nominate her for the DAISY Award.

Recently, we had a patient who was set to be discharged home the day that Bri was working. Due to our unit’s patient census and staffing, Bri was going to be sent home a few hours early. Before Bri left for the day, she was working on discharging one of her patients, who was being sent home with home oxygen. The patient’s oxygen had been delivered to their room on the unit and this is when the patient voiced their concern to Bri regarding transporting their oxygen tanks and concentrator home and up two flights of stairs. Some may have listened and not taken action, but not Bri. That is not in her nature. Not only did Bri listen to her patient, but she offered a helping hand after she was off the clock. Bri took it upon herself to meet the patient at their home, and she personally carried their home oxygen equipment up two flights of stairs. This not only helped to ensure that the patient would have their oxygen and equipment readily available to them once they were home, but it also ensured that the patient would not become injured by trying to transport the equipment up the two flights of stairs themselves, especially being that the patient was slightly limited with their mobility. This is just one example of how Bri goes above and beyond for her patients without hesitation and without expecting anything in return.

The second reason I would like to recognize Bri is due to the care she provided for one of her patients today. Bri was caring for a patient whose situation is complex in more than one way. When caring for her patients, Bri does not just focus on their physical needs; rather, she provides well-rounded care to try to meet all of their needs. When completing my rounds as the charge nurse, I had the pleasure of witnessing Bri advocating for her patient's mental health needs to be addressed when the providers came to round. With the patient’s situation being complex, Bri felt like the patient’s mental health needed more/further attention. Bri did not stop at simply advocating for her patient by asking providers for assistance in better supporting her mental health, but again, when Bri was clocked out for the day, she took the time after her 12 hour shift to go to the store and buy coloring books/things to give the patient something to do while being on our unit and to hopefully lift the patient’s spirits during this hard time. These encounters are only a few examples of who Bri is as a nurse, but more importantly, who she is as a person. Although she has been a nurse for less than a year, she is already impacting her patients’ care and their lives in such a positive way. Bri’s hard work, dedication, and compassion do not go unnoticed.