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May 6, 2024
Hospital Celebrates Week
May 17, 2024Texas County Memorial Hospital celebrated the work of its 116 nurses during National Nurses’ Week, April 29 through May 3.
Nurses’ Week is celebrated annually at TCMH. Nurses work in many departments of the hospital – medical, obstetrics, emergency room, surgery, intensive care, home health, hospice, and clinics.
“Every single day, our nurses work tirelessly to care for our patients, and their dedication is truly inspiring,” Courtney Owens, TCMH director of nursing, said. “We appreciate every nurse for everything they do.”
On Monday and Tuesday, the TCMH nurse managers held a “skills lab” training session for all TCMH licensed practical nurses (LPN) and registered nurses (RN). The skills lab included hands-on training activities such as medication tests, crash carts, transfusions, restraints, fire safety, Stroke/STEMI, patient safety, infection control, hand washing, and more.
According to Owens, 85% of the nurses completed the skills lab, which reflects their unwavering passion for providing top-notch patient care.
The nurse managers at TCMH hold the annual skills lab training during nurses’ week to help nurses keep up with in-house educational needs.
The Scrubs on Site from Holden came to TCMH on Wednesday to allow nurses and other employees to shop for uniforms during the day.
Culminating Nurses’ Week, a luncheon and ceremony were held for all nurses on Friday, May 3.
TCMH nurses Cheryl Maley, Hospice and Home Health director, RN; Ashtin Driskell, med-surg LPN; Mason Vandevort, med-surg LPN; John Sawyer, intensive care unit RN; Becky Marler, med-surg LPN; Julie Patton, med-surg RN; Jessica Collins, med-surg RN; Danielle Forester, house supervisor RN; Elizabeth Kuster, emergency RN; Alisa Contreras, emergency RN; Caden Davis, med-surg LPN; Ashley Davis, surgery clinic LPN; and Nici Brotherton, med-surg LPN were all nominated for the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award. Each nominee was honored with special recognition and a DAISY pin for their nomination.
“All the nominees represent nurses recognized as ‘outstanding nurses,’” Owens explained. The DAISY Award is the highest recognition for an RN and LPN at TCMH.”
The DAISY Award is part of the non-profit DAISY Foundation of Glen Ellen, CA. The family of J. Patrick Barnes established the Foundation. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease.
The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while Patrick was ill and hospitalized inspired the DAISY Award, which is a way of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. The DAISY Award recipient must be nominated for a specific act of extraordinary care that the person making the nomination experienced.
“At TCMH, we are fortunate to have an outstanding team of nurses who positively impact people’s lives,” April Crites, RN, quality director and Daisy coordinator, said. “Our nurse’s dedication and care inspire us all.”
From the nominees, Ashtin Driskell of Willow Springs was selected to receive the Spring DAISY Award. Driskell has worked at TCMH for one and a half years.
Bill Bridges, interim chief executive officer at TCMH, presented the award to Driskell.
“We appreciate those individuals who submitted nominations and recognized the exceptional actions of our TCMH nurses who went above and beyond their regular duties,” Bridges said. “These commendable acts highlight our nurses’ commitment to providing quality healthcare services to our patients.”
Driskell received the DAISY Award for nominations from a patient’s four daughters.
In the nomination, the daughters remarked that Ashtin demonstrated compassionate care and kindness during their mother’s hospital stay.
According to them, Ashtin treated their mother like her own family and went above and beyond her duties as a nurse.
They praised her patience, bedside manner, and attention to detail. They said she always ensured their mother’s medications were on time and even took the time to rub her arms and talk to her until she felt better. The daughters said they would always feel comfortable under her care and want her to care for them or their mother if they ever needed to return to TCMH.
The patient’s daughters also remarked on Ashtin’s leadership qualities and the respect she received from her coworkers. They described her as the most loving person they had ever met, believing she was a tremendous asset to TCMH. They concluded that Ashtin is an absolute angel and deserves the highest recognition TCMH can offer.
“Ashtin is an exceptional and compassionate nurse who always goes the extra mile to provide top-quality care to our patients,” Owens said. “She is a very deserving recipient of our Daisy Award.”
Driskell received a special DAISY Award pin, a recognition certificate, a bouquet of fresh flowers, and a hand-carved stone sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.”