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Nursing often goes far beyond the basic definition of caring for those who are sick. Recently, Elisabeth Maynard, RN, 6 West, used her role as a nurse help a patient gain motivation, confidence, and self-reliance. She taught him all the necessary steps to care for himself and manage his daily needs. She spoke to him in his native language and made him a cheat sheet, so he could successfully communicate with others. Elisabeth’s dedication and persistence helped the patient gain enough independence to be discharged. For her work with this patient, Elisabeth received a DAISY Award in a surprise ceremony with Mary Dixon, Chief Nursing Officer. Read the full nomination below. Congratulations, Lis!

“Elisabeth (Lis) took care of an extremely challenging patient on 6 West for over six weeks. This gentleman was Spanish-speaking only and in the U.S. undocumented. He had no access to insurance or health care benefits and had no family at all except a brother in another country.

“He had cancer, which resulted in him needing extensive surgery, and he ended up with a permanent tracheostomy and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). (He eventually was able to eat orally, but would need his PEG again once radiation commenced.) This gentleman was very, very reluctant to learn his own care and insisted that the nurses provide all of his activities of daily living.

“Lis, who is fluent in Spanish, began slowly encouraging him and teaching him first how to do his own tube feedings. With much repetition and some tough love, he finally was successful in that task. Then she moved on to teaching him how to care for his trach: suctioning, cleaning, and changing his device daily. Again, she met resistance, and again, she persisted! He learned this task as well!

“This patient was newly diagnosed as diabetic and had to learn how to check his blood sugars frequently during the day and how to medicate himself appropriately. Yet again, Lis stepped up to the plate until he was able to learn this need.

“The next hurdle was a disposition plan. This gentleman needed six weeks of radiation therapy, (five times a week for six weeks), but he did not require hospitalization. The team recognized that because he lived in a trailer in a very distant part of the state and did not drive, the best option would be to have him go to our Hospitality House and take the shuttle bus each day to receive his radiation treatment.

“He would need to be able to buy groceries somewhere, cook for himself, get on the shuttle bus at the appropriate time, and generally live in a world of English-speaking people. Lis was yet again up to the task. She translated into Spanish (with English translations next to it) key phrases that he could show to people if he needed help (Where is the shuttle bus? Where is the grocery store? I feel bad, can you call for help?) as well as his prescriptions, his glucometer instructions, how to connect his phone to Wi-Fi … she even helped him call his friend to pick up his last paycheck.

“Then, on the day that he was to go to Hospitality House, we realized no one could give him directions (few staff over there speak Spanish), so she actually rode the shuttle bus with him along with our assistant nurse manager, unpacked all of his belongings, carried his tube feeding cans to his room, and got him settled with learning his new environment. Then, she returned to 6W and finished giving report on all of her other patients for the day.

“She is also precepting a new grad and was teaching her how to manage this complex patient during his entire stay on 6W. I have no doubt whatsoever that this gentleman would still be on 6W unnecessarily without the massive efforts of Lis to pull off this complex discharge. She has done a phenomenal job!”

Nomination edited for clarity.

Know a fabulous nurse?
The Professional Nursing Staff Organization honors up to two UVA RNs each month with a DAISY Award. Nominations may be submitted by patients, patient families, visitors, and fellow UVA team members. Learn more at uvadaisy.com.