I could share many, many stories about Lily meeting the DAISY criteria. It is hard to pick just one story so I will speak to her actions. Lily continually goes above and beyond to treat patients with dignity, respect, and compassion. Whether it is a single interaction with a patient, action she takes during code greens, or advocating for patients by encouraging staff to be the best we can for the patients. When it comes to R.E.A.C.H: Lily demonstrates extraordinary talent regularly. When a patient is dysregulated, she steps in to try multiple approaches to calm the patient down and avoid the use of restraints. Lily demonstrates the best way to act in these situations (Role Model).

When restraints are necessary, Lily will actively speak up if there is a safety concern for the patient or if there is a way we can reduce the amount of distress the patient experiences while being put in restraints. Lily is not afraid to go against what's "popular" if it's what is best for the patient (Advocate).

Lily speaks to kids and families with understanding, compassion, and offers solutions to problems when possible. She takes time to listen to patients and helps support patients through difficult emotions, triggers, and urges to hurt themselves or others. Even when the patients are not around, Lily speaks of them with compassion. She does not judge the things patients do/say. She considers their point of view and understands that they are struggling and can use our support. Lily also demonstrates how we can also be role models for patients on how to treat others and behave. Lily keeps an open mind and is mindful of cultural considerations, language barriers, and differences in patient background to ensure we are supporting patients who might have different backgrounds than our own. Lily takes time to consider these factors and to value equity in patient care (Communicator).

Finally, Lily takes time to build rapport with patients and family. No matter the patient or the things they are struggling with, Lily finds some common ground to build trust and help patients feel safe. She meets patients with genuine interest and isn't afraid to work with "challenging" patients that others may be. She embraces these patients and builds them up to believe in themselves and practice coping skills (Heartfelt).

In the time that I've known Lily, I have come to respect her greatly and learned so many valuable things from her. She is certainly an EXCELLENT role model, and I have grown my own quality of patient care just by observing and working with Lily. I have worked with many nurses throughout my career and Lily stands out as especially exceptional. I wish I could give just one story of how she's demonstrated the criteria, but there is no one story that fully represents Lily's commitment and care. Instead, she is exceptional every single day, being a role model and touching the lives of patients and their families daily. She is fair, kind, honest, and an inspiration to all.