Jamie Rice, RN, was named Meritus Health's May DAISY Nurse. A fellow Meritus Medical Center colleague wrote that "In the early morning hours one recent Saturday, a patient came in to the Emergency Department complaining of abdominal pain. He was a truck driver from Minnesota. Once his admission orders were written, he told his nurse about his dog that was out in the truck. At this time, the dog had been in the rig for approximately five hours and the driver was concerned with what was going to happen to him. Jamie went and met with the patient. It didn't take much for her to volunteer to take the dog home. She took the time to make sure the patient understood that the dog would be cared for and that she was a dog lover herself with both a golden retriever and a boxer at home. As busy as we are at times, we forget that there is more to the healing process than the physical element. Making sure that patients have the right mental mindset is also important. Jamie thought about this and in doing what she did, gave the patient a chance to have a favorable outcome after surgery. She gave the patient peace of mind that he may not have had in any other situation."
