Congratulations to Dani Foster, RCH Emergency Department RN, for receiving our Fourth Quarter Pillar of Excellence Award!

This quarterly award recognizes employees who display positive behaviors and characteristics as defined in our Dare to Soar standards, values and RCH mission. Employees receiving this award demonstrate these behaviors and characteristics on a consistent basis. Selection for this award recognizes these employees for their outstanding commitment and demonstration of concern, respect, and professionalism.

The Pillar of Excellence Award is a step above the typical ’employee of the month’ model of recognition. In order to receive this award, employees are nominated by a co-worker that fills out a nomination form that must fully illustrate how the employee demonstrates EXCELLENCE IN EACH CATEGORY of our Dare to Soar values. The application that meets the standards of the application as well as the award is chosen by our Employer of Choice team.

See below for Dani’s full nomination:

Commitment
As an experienced ED RN and long-time RCH employee, Dani has both clinical knowledge (of ED and OB and Oncology nursing) and historical knowledge of RCH. She is often asked by coworkers about how to perform certain nursing procedures. She is able to provide “the why” related to what processes have been tried in the past, which is helpful when process changes are being considered. In addition, she willingly and consistently completes departmental “chores” like checking expiration dates, completing crash cart checks, and following up on positive culture reports. These tasks are boring and tedious but are important to keep the department functioning smoothly, and she recognizes that.

Leadership
Dani has signed up for Preceptor training, which is a significant educational commitment, especially since she has functioned as a preceptor for years. She has served as an educator for past Nursing Skills Days. She is an informal leader within the department by modeling behavioral as well as clinical excellence, and continuing mentorship of new staff after their orientation is completed.

Professionalism
Dani interacts respectfully and supportively to patients, visitors, ED coworkers, staff in other departments, and physicians. She helps in other departments when requested (e.g. starting IVs for patients in other areas of the hospital). When questions occur or additional information is needed from other hospital departments or entities outside of RCH, she is quick to pick up the phone and professionally seek input from others.

Teamwork
On a regular basis Dani pulls up a policy to review, calls someone else in the hospital who is a subject matter expert, refers to a clinical reference for guidance, or talks with a physician to better understand something about a patient’s condition or treatment. She models this type of behavior for others and instills it in the nurses that she precepts.

Communication
Dani is welcoming and compassionate in her interactions with patients and their visitors. She answers questions graciously. She provides a thorough nurse-to-nurse handoff report and does the same for her report to the ED physicians.

Ownership
Dani leads by example in terms of being non-judgmental and accepting. She participates fully in trainings for new equipment, processes, and skills. She covers for others so they can attend trainings.

Innovation
Dani recently proposed the idea of creating a Nursing Tips Reference Binder. She, with the help of other staff, put together a binder of instructions for things that don’t happen often or that are confusing or that are not found in policies. She proposed this reference to help our newer nurses that will soon be finished with orientation, but it has also been embraced by experienced ED RNs as a valuable resource.

Excellence
Dani’s nursing practice includes a willingness to go the extra mile for patients. She will help them set up appointments or arrange for needed assistance to help ensure that they can be safe after discharge. Share how nominee contributes to practices and processes that result in positive change/or support our mission.


Additional Comments
Dani is what we like to call “The Total Package” as an ED nurse. She is clinically strong, and also consistently displays the RCH Standards of Behavior. She is unfailingly non-judgmental and compassionate. Other staff have been heard to say, “I want to be Dani when I grow up.” That succinctly describes how the ED team feels about Dani.