Brittney Hoch has recently changed the course of 2 patients' lives. One patient was a young woman involved in a car accident. She had a head injury and a few other smaller injuries, the head injury being the most significant. During my nurse leader rounding the day before the event, the patient was sitting up in a chair, starting to eat some and generally progressing well. The next day I walked into the patient's room, the patient was on a ventilator, several medication drips and had gone to surgery for a major brain surgery. I spoke with the patient's nurse to find out what had happened and found out that the nurse, Brittney Hoch, had noted a few small neurological changes, that together, added up to a big problem. Brittney took the next steps necessary to get the doctors and neurosurgeons involved which lead to the emergent surgery, and saved this patient's quality of life.

Within a week or two of the patient described above, Brittney took care of another patient whose life course was altered because of her noting changes in their status. Another trauma patient came in, had EKG changes and a significant increase in troponin levels that she brought to the attention of the doctors. After reviewing the information, the doctor took the patient to the cath lab and performed a thromboectomy and stented the patient's LAD. The patient's life was saved.

I know that Brittney would say that, in both of the above examples, she was "just doing her job" but in these 2 specific cases, I disagree. I truly believe that because of Brittney's excellent care, critical thinking skills, and attention to detail, these 2 patients owe their lives to Brittney. She absolutely was pivotal in, not only saving their lives, but their quality of life.

I see great things every day from the nurses I work with, and the nurses in our unit are the best. But because I feel that Brittney's excellent care and follow up is what saved these patients' lives, I felt that she is what the DAISY award is all about, and why Brittney deserves this honor!