While we don’t work together directly, Joanna and I are longtime nursing colleagues and graduate school classmates. When I mentioned being worried about my father’s double knee replacement surgeries and how he would cope with recovery, Joanna did not hesitate to provide helpful information on post-operative recovery care.  

Joanna’s compassionate and caring nature eased my worries.  With 15 years of trauma/surgical expertise, I knew I could trust Joanna's post-op guidance. She obtained patient education materials, printed, and collated everything, and then created educational packets that my father could easily follow and understand.  I was very impressed with how Joanna tailored this education to my father’s learning needs.  

Nursing education is a responsibility Joanna takes on wholeheartedly. Joanna’s ability to identify learning needs and potential discharge barriers as well as navigate our complex medical system in real time is commendable.  For example, Joanna advocated for my father when he had trouble setting up outpatient physical therapy (PT) appointments due to confusion about insurance. My father needed a particular PT location that was easily walkable from his home, since he couldn’t drive yet. So, Joanna took the lead and researched the PT location he needed. She found out that they accepted my father’s health insurance, and he was able to book his weekly appointments without delay, which expedited his recovery process. Joanna’s rich experience in both inpatient and now ambulatory care as well as her resourceful nature, allowed her to expertly navigate our complex medical system, find answers to difficult questions (i.e., insurance and prior authorizations), and provide individualized care to achieve the best possible outcomes for my father. 

Lastly, when my father experienced some post-op complications that brought him an admission to an inpatient surgical unit at MGH, Joanna dropped everything she was doing to come visit him in the hospital.  Unsurprisingly, so many of the nurses on that unit knew Joanna from her time on the inpatient surgical floors. I was so impressed with how Joanna helped my dad in the hospital. She made sure his pneumatic compression boot was put on properly, inspected his surgical dressing, asked him about his pain, got him ice for his knee to lessen the pain, and stressed to him the importance of early ambulation to prevent post-op complications.
 
It truly takes a village to care for your family, and I am lucky she is in mine. While I have known Joanna for many years at this point, I felt truly honored to witness her bedside manner and nursing skills in action! My dad lit up when she came in the room; his whole demeanor changed, and his roommate even asked if she could stay and be his nurse! 

In a double room, you often end up helping both patients as a nurse.  Joanna was refilling their water pitchers, making sure the call light system was working, and even helped me reposition my dad in the chair to make sure he was comfortable. While these may seem like little things, it is the little things that matter the most. It is also the little things that you remember.

I cannot express how much the moral support Joanna provided me during my dad’s hospitalization meant to me.  She treated both of us with the utmost respect and said, “let me help you with this, you have so much on your plate.” If this isn’t the essence of a DAISY Nurse, I do not know what is.  

If you have the unfortunate circumstance of being hospitalized after surgery, I can only hope you get a nurse like Joanna. Joanna has the utmost grace and composure during difficult times.  I can assure you that she does not miss a single point of emotional care with her patients or their families.  As a fellow nurse, I am a tough critic! She is one of the best. With gratitude and respect, I want to thank Joanna for all that she did for me and my dad!