As a volunteer, I am privileged to volunteer alongside a first class team of caring, compassionate brilliant men and women. Every week I never cease to be amazed at how positive the interaction and camaraderie is among the staff.

I dare not mention select names because I would not be able to remember them all and would be negligent to leave someone out. They have all been so helpful and appreciative of what we do as volunteers and never regard us as an interruption. It is nice to feel needed and appreciated, though that is not our goal.

The ICU staff respond quickly, whether there is a patient that needs turning or lifted, help to the bathroom, medications or drink of water - just about anything. When anyone walks into ICU they are immediately greeted with a warm, calming environment along with the expressions of joy of all the faces of the staff. The nursing staff is the best and this whole team should be celebrated. Thank you for all you do!

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As I look back at the previous DAISY award recipients at Mercy Gilbert, I notice it has been several years since an ICU staff member has received the award, so I decided to write a nomination. Once I started to think about whom I would nominate several staff members came to mind but I could not nominate just one person because truly our unit is filled with several nurses who would qualify for this reward. Here are some reasons why:

Each nurse in our ICU has a different way of showing compassion. Some show it through "tough love" such as making the patient get out of bed for the first time to improve strength and pulmonary functions. There is no better feeling for an ICU nurse than to have someone on Rotoprone therapy of CRRT and see them weeks later walking the halls on the Telemetry unit.

Another form of compassionate behavior is to "not beat around the bush". Some patients need to hear it like it is. I overheard a colleague of mine show this type of compassion for a patient who had terminal cancer and was choosing to live the remaining months of his life attached to a PCA and in a medicated state of mind. My colleague was afraid that he was not able to make appropriate decisions for his end of life care while in this state of mind therefore took the time to discuss other options with the patient.

"Do you want to live the rest of your months in an altered state of mind or do you want to spend the rest of your time on this Earth aware of the loved ones at your bedside and soaking up all the time with them that you can? Is there somewhere you have always wanted to go or something you have always wanted to do? Do you want to lie in this bed altered or do you want to do those things and be with those loved ones? You have a choice."

To me this is a form of compassion. It demonstrates that as a nurse you care enough to sit, have a conversation and try and help this person come to grips with their devastating situation.

Other forms of compassion demonstrated by my colleagues:

making a warm cup of coffee for the family member who is freezing

making sure the wife of the patient has had lunch because she has not left her husband's bedside since he was admitted

repositioning that pillow fifteen times to the left and three inches to the right for that one patient that just can't get comfortable.

All of these gestures take time out of the nurse's busy day but there is not one nurse on this unit that wouldn't take the time to show their patient or family member one of these forms of compassion.

Not a shift goes by that I am not thankful for the people on our ICU team. I have gained the utmost respect for all of them and have learned so much from this group of people. They have not only become my friends but have also become my family. Please acknowledge this wonderful group of people and the excellent care they provide to every patient that comes through our unit.