My name is Naomi Hibma, and I am honored to nominate my team, the Cardiac Care unit, for the 2024 DAISY Team Award. I am confident that our unit exemplifies outstanding teamwork, commitment, and patient care. We have also demonstrated resilience in overcoming the challenges and obstacles we've faced. The journey that the Cardiac Care team has been through has been full of ups and downs. I am going to be honest and say that the year 2023 was a rough time for our team.

In early 2023, it was decided that we would no longer be taking intermediate-care status patients, which resulted in multiple staff members leaving their jobs throughout that year. This left us short-staffed and disheartened about the future of the unit. However, 2024 has shown to be a year of tremendous growth and perseverance for Cardiac Care, as our team has consistently gone above and beyond in providing compassionate, patient-centered care and has come out stronger and more united than ever before.

I started working on this unit in early 2022. The transition from student to RN was rough for me, and the thought of being a real nurse in a hospital was intimidating. I can confidently say that I don’t think my coworkers or managers could have done a better job of soothing that transition for me when I first started, and the feeling has continued to this day. I constantly have a feeling of support, whether it be from my management or coworkers. Though I have only worked here for a little less than 3 years, I can say there have been countless times when I had to rely on my coworkers to complete tasks for me, and they have never let me down. It’s not uncommon for me (or anyone) to get an unstable patient and end up being stuck in that room for hours on end. In these instances, I have no choice but to rely on my coworkers to take care of my three other patients. I am always met with no resistance at all and have multiple coworkers offering to help me with vitals, medications, and other tasks that need to be done. It’s as if everyone comes together to support that nurse and help them as much as possible so that we can all leave on time. Even the nursing assistants and unit secretaries go above and beyond in offering their help to nurses who are struggling. I truly feel like I can ask anyone for help at any time, and that feeling is not one to take for granted.

There have been countless instances where our team demonstrated resilience and adaptability in the face of challenges. The documenting and tracking of the intake and output of patients on the unit has consistently been a challenge, as it is for many hospital units. Multiple staff members in the Cardiac Care unit have put their heads together to tackle the issue as we realize how important it is for our cardiac patients. This is currently a work in progress, but I feel confident that our team is making progress towards a solution.

Another challenge we consistently face in the Cardiac Care unit is complex and difficult patients or patients who simply aren’t very nice. When these patients appear on our unit, I never fail to notice how the team supports each other, such as taking turns going in the room and going into the room as pairs. Shifts in the unit are not always easy, and during these hard shifts, we are there not only for our patients and their well-being but also for our coworkers. I have never had a moment where I felt alone during a difficult moment on the unit. Whether it be talking it out with one another, cheering each other up with an after-work gathering, or even simply offering a listening ear, I always feel like we take the time to make sure our fellow colleagues are in a good headspace before departing for the day.

Over the past year, the Cardiac Care unit has had many wins. We had a big milestone back in the summer of having gone 100 days without a fall on the unit. This was a particularly big accomplishment of ours, as we used to be one of the units within Essentia Health Fargo that had the highest fall rates. Our unit also had a decrease in the spread of C. Diff in 2024 as well as seeing a downtrend in CAUTIs on the unit. The biggest win of all in 2024 was seeing the return of multiple staff members who used to work on the unit and chose to return. Having these nurses return to our team was such a blessing, as their experience and expertise brought a sense of reassurance and stability to the team. I have also noticed that our retention rates have improved, and I feel that most of my coworkers are happy with their jobs. I am constantly in awe of my colleagues’ professionalism, empathy, and dedication. Despite Cardiac Care’s rough patches and all we have been through, I believe we have come out stronger and more supportive of each other than ever before. I know that I have met people on this team who will become lifelong friends of mine and people I will always stay connected with. Their commitment to making a difference in the lives of our patients is evident in everything we do.