I have had the pleasure of working with Summer Chafin since she was a new graduate RN. Over the course of the past few years, it has been amazing to watch Summer mature into her role as a bedside nurse. She emulates compassion in her every patient interaction. She greets patients and families with a genuine smile and always strives to care for her patients as if they were family.
We had a patient who was here in the hospital for several months with a family who was not easy to please. His sister stated she always knew her brother was taken care of if Summer was on shift. Summer demonstrates integrity in her daily work, she honestly and openly communicates with patients and families. On the day that she met this particular family, she walked into a situation where they were upset about an aspect of care, the sister stated, "I was upset, and she calmed me down and did her job." This family member was the primary caregiver for the patient who was very sick, requiring complete care from ostomy bag changes to tracheostomy care. She was accustomed to doing things her way and the way she does them at home. There were things that we had to differently since he was in the hospital and this was a difficult adjustment for her. Summer helped to make her feel included in the process by explaining why we were doing things a certain way and, on some occasions, adjusting our processes to more closely resemble what the patient and family were used to at home.
Nurses often get caught up in the process due to time. Summer made sure that the patient and family were happy, clocking out late to make sure that she had done everything she could to make them part of the process.
His sister stated, "Excellence is the word I can't say enough about Summer." This patient was incontinent of bladder and the patient's sister says that Summer always made sure that he was dry and did not have to call for assistance because she was there to check on him before they knew he needed anything.
As Summer has matured in her role as a nurse she has become a great leader on the floor, she is always quick to help and shows up promptly to admissions. She leads by example.
I am lucky to work with such a fantastic nurse and our patients are lucky to be cared for by such an amazing person. A compliment from a patient always means so much. A compliment from a family member who others had a difficult time with is worth a million! I truly believe that Summer deserves the DAISY Award for her dedication to the compassionate care of her patients.