UCI Health nurses recognized for leadership, exemplary care

UCI Health nurses recognized for leadership, exemplary care

DAISY Awards honor nursing team members who go above and beyond for patients, co-workers

Orange, Calif. - Several nurses at UCI Medical Center in Orange and UCI Health ― Fountain Valley were recognized with DAISY Awards for their leadership and compassion in the care of their patients. The award honors nurses who demonstrate excellence in patient care while displaying the values of compassion, courage and integrity.

Alfred Jaramillo, a nurse at Fountain Valley, was nominated by several individuals for his willingness to give every patient and their family his time and undivided attention. Comments from Jaramillo's nomination letters include:

"This nurse cares. That's all it takes to give us light, no matter what the outcome is. His respect and admiration for the family members, patients and his colleagues were noticeable from the day we met him. He has a big smile and always welcomes us to ask questions, bring up concerns or things that are bothering us."

"He took the time to answer all our questions, and I mean all. We have a large family and we had lots of questions. He was so kind in answering us. He is the true definition of what a nurse should be. He is kind, empathetic, knowledgeable, sympathetic, friendly, reassuring, approachable and very caring towards his patients. By far the best nurse experience."

"Alfred really showed his passion for his job. It seems that he cares very much for all his patients and answers all questions and inquiries we might have related to my mother. He deserves the best. He leaves his heart with every patient."

Fountain Valley intensive care unit nurse Andreas King was nominated by a person whose aunt had been admitted to the unit after a stroke.

"He was so gentle, so accommodating. When he performed dressing changes, he took his time and checked on my aunt's comfort level throughout the entire procedure. He explained everything and gave her choices. Those little gestures are so important, yet so overlooked. I am so grateful for the entire team, but Andreas really stood out."

Janette Rodes-Sanchez, an intensive care unit nurse at UCI Medical Center, was nominated by a colleague for her compassionate efforts to console a child whose mother had passed away.

"The child was very distraught, crying and asking questions. Janette spoke with the child and tried to involve her in making handprints of her mother."

Archie Escolano, a cardiac sonographer at UCI Medical Center, was recognized with the Sunflower Award, which honors non-nursing co-workers. His nomination letter reads in part:

"My mom was a patient in the cardiac ward after her transcatheter aortic valve (TAVR) procedure. Archie came in to do an echocardiogram on her and he was amazing. He was compassionate. He answered all her questions and explained everything he was doing. When he finished the echocardiogram, he helped my mom get out of bed and sit up in her chair even though he was pressed for time to get to another patient."

How to nominate a team member

Anyone can nominate an exceptional nurse or patient care team member for a DAISY or Sunflower Award, including faculty, staff and patients. Simply fill out the appropriate nomination form below:

• DAISY Nurse Leader Award nomination form ›
• DAISY Team Award nomination form ›
• DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses nomination form ›
• Sunflower Ancillary Staff Award nomination form ›

About the DAISY Award

The individual DAISY Award recognizes a nurse for being an outstanding role model. To be nominated for this award, they must consistently demonstrate a caring attitude focusing on meeting the needs of patients and families, listen with their heart, significantly makes a difference in the life of a patient, shows good assessment and critical thinking skills and brings enthusiasm and energy to their daily work. The DAISY Award committee selects one nominated nurse each month who exemplifies what it means to truly be an outstanding caregiver.

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About UCI Health

UCI Health, one of California's largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, a 459-bed, acute care hospital in Orange, Calif., the UCI Health - Irvine medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Recognized as a Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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