Stephanie Ford, RN
Published: Dec. 13, 2016
The DAISY Award celebrates the compassionate and skillful care given by Nurses every day, and the latest example is personified by Stephanie Ford, a nurse on 6W.
A unique patient on Stephanie’s floor had some cognitive disabilities that made it very difficult and unsafe for Caregivers to perform care on her. The patient often acted aggressively, and had to be restrained by security at times so she wouldn’t bite or scratch others.
Through much effort, Stephanie formed a special connection with the patient — who had a cognitive age of 25 months old. This breakthrough enabled Stephanie to gain trust and negotiate the patient’s care: A level of care that sometimes required Stephanie to spend 45 minutes at night to ensure the patient was in a proper mindset to be transferred back to bed.
“Watching Stephanie take this extra time to comfort the patient, build a relationship and even reward her with cookie monster kisses (a stuffed animal) has brought some light to such a sad situation for a scared patient. I am deeply touched by the care and concern of this nurse and am humbled by her effort,” exclaimed Carly Hundt, 6 West Orthopedics Manager.
Stephanie received a certificate, a DAISY pin to wear at work and beautiful serpentine stone sculpture carved by the artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. The sculpture depicts the embracing relationship Nurses have with their Patients.
Congratulations to Stephanie Ford, a Sparrow Nurse who represents the extraordinary qualities that help Sparrow provide quality and compassionate care to everyone, every time.