Leah Caster began her career at RVMC in 2009 as a new graduate RN in the ICU. She is a young and wonderful nurse that the Critical Care unit is so fortunate to have as a part of our team. She is a very competent nurse and seems to always go the extra steps for her patients. This was evident recently when she had a psych patient in her assignment whose delirium was so pronounced that even the Behavioral Health staff could not meet all of his physical needs. His condition caused him to demonstrate symptoms of psychosis and paranoia. He was frequently very agitated, calling out and resisting care.

Leah stayed quietly with him and talked to him until he could communicate in such a way that she could help him. She spent over an hour and a half by his side and was able to calm him and coax him to sleep. His delirium was much improved the next shift due to her diligence and very caring nature.

Also, a few months ago, Leah became a primary nurse for one of our very long term patients and worked very hard to make him comfortable. Even more important, she went out of her way to find something for him to smile about every shift. She was his nurse over and over, building rapport with him and his family and stayed late the morning that he was failing so that she could be there to help his family as he passed, all the while with tears flowing down her face.

ICU is fast paced and stressful but Leah is always willing to take the time that the patients and families need to feel cared for in our unit. I am proud to work as part of Leah’s team!

Leah is an excellent example of living the Asante values, and for providing extraordinary care and compassion to her patients and families. For these reasons, she is deserving of the Daisy award.

Thank you for your wonderful work, and congratulations, Leah!