The criteria for a DAISY Award nominee is “super-human work done by nurses every day” and no one exemplifies that more than Pam Kachmar. Recently I was working on 7B on a daylight shift when Pam was in charge. Pam is a steady night shift person and working a daylight shift is rare for her. Despite working night shift only days before, she came to 7b that morning energized and ready for the day, a charisma Pam demonstrates every time she comes to work. Though the day started with a slow and steady pace the situation quickly changed. Admissions began to pour in. Over the course of the afternoon Pam discharged two patients, admitted four of her own all while assisting every other nurse with their admission. Though this may not be all that special of an experience for any charge nurse, it is the manner and style in which Pam handled the situation that makes her a DAISY Nurse. Pam never lost her smile, never once showed a moment of annoyance or frustration, and helped her fellow staff members with true sincerity. Her positive attitude kept the morale of the unit up beat helping everyone work as a team and as efficiently as possible.
In the midst of the activity Pam admitted a patient from the cath lab, an adult patient in her late twenties. Despite the fact that cath lab patients were something that we did not typically see, despite the fact that it was an adult patient in a pediatric hospital, Pam treated her new patient as if nothing were out of the ordinary. The patient and her husband were stressed about their visit and unfamiliar with the environment of the unit. Pam recognized that patient and family centered care does not only apply to our pediatric patients and families. She took time to explain to the patient and the husband what the course of the next few hours would be like so they felt prepared for what to expect. When the patient experienced a post procedure complication Pam demonstrated care and compassion as she worked to ease the patient’s anxiety. The patient’s husband and mother were present at the bedside and Pam took the time to explain to them what she was going to do to help the patient and then in respect for the patient’s privacy took the family to the sitting area to wait until the procedure was over.
As I assisted Pam I was amazed by her naturally ability to distract this adult patient with conversation and humor. As she helped the patient she did so as if it were her only patient, her only responsibility, despite the truth that she had a million other tasks yet to do. Throughout her shift that day Pam encountered so many situations that could have been tremendous challenges to her typical practice, but she took each one in stride. Her calm, caring, and dedicated demeanor are all evidence of the above and beyond care she demonstrates every day, but her “super human” abilities came to light even more during this recent shift. She deserves to be recognized as a DAISY Nurse!