We are pleased to announce the most recent UAB Medicine DAISY Award, recognizing the extraordinary care and compassion that nurses provide for patients and families every day. Submissions and stories are reviewed each month, and then the winner is surprised at a special ceremony. You can submit a DAISY nurse nomination using the online form.
Click here to view more pictures from the award presentation.
Congratulations to the most recent winners: Adam Wilson, RN, and Taylor Turner, RN! What makes Adam and Taylor DAISY winners?
“Adam Wilson, RN, and Taylor Turner, RN, are assistant nurse managers (ANMs) in the UAB Hospital Emergency Department. Traci Watkins, a call center operator, transferred a call to Adam from a distraught individual who was expressing suicidal and homicidal thoughts and said they planned to kill everyone in the home, including children. Adam and Taylor talked through the situation and remained on the phone with the caller for more than two hours, until help could arrive.
Adam asked for the individual’s address and recorded it. The individual was then asked if they had the ability to call 911, and Adam offered to call 911 on their behalf. He also asked who was in the house and if there were weapons, to which the individual answered yes. Adam recommended that the individual walk away from everyone else while they were on the phone.
Adam enlisted the help of Taylor, who got on the phone and initiated a conversation with the individual. Taylor asked the children’s names and ages while Adam was on the phone with 911 providing more information about the situation.
Taylor gathered more details, including verifying the individual’s name and medical history, and she kept the individual occupied during this time. The individual started crying and begging for help, and Taylor reassured the caller that help was on the way. Taylor began praying when the individual stated that they had a gun to their head, all while remaining calm and continuing to reassure the individual.
The individual was kept on the phone until emergency services arrived. The police spoke with Taylor on the phone upon arriving and discussed transporting the individual to the hospital. The individual was transferred to the UAB Hospital Emergency Department for an emergency psychiatric evaluation and ultimately was admitted.”
Adam and Taylor should be recognized for their professionalism and quick thinking in a volatile situation.