DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses
DAISY Award honorees personify Palmdale Regional Medical Center's remarkable patient experience. These nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care, and they are recognized as outstanding role models in our nursing community.
What is The DAISY Award?
The DAISY Award is a program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day. PRMC is proud to be a DAISY Award Hospital Partner, recognizing one of our nurses with this special honor every month or quarter. To find out more about the program, including the growing list of Hospital Partners, please go to www.DAISYfoundation.org.
About The DAISY Foundation
The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died of complications of the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) at the age of 33. (DAISY is an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system.) During Pat's eight week hospitalization, his family was awestruck by the care and compassion his nurses provided not only to Pat but to everyone in his family. So one of the goals they set in creating a Foundation in Pat's memory was to recognize extraordinary nurses everywhere who make an enormous difference in the lives of so many people by the super-human work they do everyday.
Current Recipients
Hiroe Okamoto, RN
Number of years working for Palmdale Regional: 3 years
Number of years on current specialty: 3 years in Tele, just started the ICU Bridge Program
What do you love most about nursing? Making a difference in the lives of others and learning about life, values and the power of love from patients, families, and coworkers.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? I enjoy a day trip and exploring new places or local foods, or just relaxing at home doing Yoga when I am not at work.
Nela Serrano, RN
Number of years working for Palmdale Regional: 12 years
Number of years on current specialty: 12 years
What do you love most about nursing? The satisfaction that patients feel better because I helped them as a nurse.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? Spending time with my two daughters and husband and going out of town together.
Miriam Berglund, RN, Med/Surg 2
Number of years working for Palmdale Regional: 2 years in September
Number of years on current specialty: 4 years Med-surg/Telemetry, 2 years in Oncology
What do you love most about nursing? Nursing gives me a chance to positively touch people's lives. Nursing is a unique opportunity to learn from our patients and their families through our interactions. I have learned to truly care about people. Even in the simple way of updating their whiteboard chart and discussing all their plans of care is satisfying. To guide them in every detail and step to achieve optimal health and the best possible quality of life. I love to listen and get to know each of my patients as a person. Our responsibility is to provide high quality care regardless of our differences. Everyone deserves care and respect. I feel that health is the most precious thing a person can have even above wealth. I also enjoy working with my team members at PRMC who are very professional. I am grateful for my late parents for their sacrifices for me to become a nurse. The discipline and good values they taught me led me to become Super Daisy and Employee of the Year.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? Chess tournaments – I was representing our school from elementary to high school; fiddle contests while in the US as an adult; concert violinist at Tehachapi Symphony orchestra, etc.; I also play bandurria, piano and classical guitar; I enjoy horseback riding; flying small planes; traveling – I have recently traveled with my husband to England, Scotland, Italy, France and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and many other cities and countries.
Jasper Anggo, RN, Telemetry
Number of years working for Palmdale Regional: 1 ½ years
Number of years on current specialty: 2 1/2 years
What do you love most about nursing? Before, I didn't love nursing because I was forced to take the nursing profession, I didn't have a choice. It was nursing or no college degree. And when I started working I even got bullied at the previous hospitals I worked with. But when my dad's diabetes worsened and he passed away, that was the time it dawned on me and made me realize I was placed in this profession for a purpose. Fast forward, I'm happy with everything about nursing, just simply initiating small talk with my patients to satisfy my daily dose of wanting to talk to people since I love to talk. And I don't get burned out easily because I love what I do, and I believe that wherever God places you, you will find your purpose.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? Traveling, cooking for my family, eating unfamiliar food.
Juan Neri, RN, ICU
Number of years working for Palmdale Regional: 2 years
Number of years on current specialty: 2 years
What do you love most about nursing? Caring for not only my patients but their families as well. Showing the love and support I can give whether big or small, it can make a difference in everyone's day.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? I enjoy spending time with my wife and being able to play video games together or finding new restaurants that look delicious!
Past Recipients
Heather
Number of years working for PRMC: 9 years
Number of years in current specialty: 3 years in ICU, 6 years in Telemetry
What do you love most about nursing? I love being able to care for patients (and their families) during a time that might not be their best, hoping to provide for them comfort, reassurance, education, a hand to hold, a hug, a familiar smile. I could go on, but as long as you do what makes your heart happy then the rest all falls into line.
When you're not at work, what do you enjoy doing? When I'm not at work I enjoy spending time with my 3 boys, doing DIY projects, cooking/baking, riding my bike, going to the gym, weekend adventures and spending time with my friends and family.
Krystal
Number of years working for PRMC: 1 year
Number of years on current specialty: 2 ½ years in ICU
What do you love most about nursing? Seeing a positive outcome for my patients’ health
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? Painting
Tori
Number of years working for PRMC: 24 years
Number of years on current specialty: almost 20 years
What do you love most about nursing? You can show someone the slightest kindness and it goes a long way when they are not feeling at their best. Also, as a Nurse there is so much opportunity that if you get tired of doing one specialty, you can have many opportunities for change to gain a new perspective.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? Spending time with my kids, watching crime shows; going to travel basketball games; overall just watching my teenagers thrive.
Anthony
Number of years working for PRMC: 3 Years
Number of years on current specialty: 1.5 years
What do you love most about nursing? I love being able to make a difference in peoples’ lives, whether it’s the patient or the family. Since a young age I remember always being in the ER with broken bones or other issues. I always appreciated the kindness shown towards me by the nurses. By becoming a nurse I’ve been able to give back the same kind-heartedness shown to me. The small things really matter when you are having the worst days of your life.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? Spending time with the family (12 year old daughter and 3 year old son). Also, when we get a free “date night” my wife and I usually enjoy playing a few rounds of Fortnite.
Danielle
Number of years at PMRC: 5 years
Number of years on current specialty: 3.5 years
What do you love most about nursing? I love taking care of people and meeting new people so my job very much allows me to do that.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? In my personal time, I love spending time with my family.
Kaitlin
Number of years at PMRC: 1.5
Number of years at current specialty: 1
What do you love most about nursing? What I love most about nursing is that it is meaningful work that makes a difference in the quality of people's lives
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing? When I'm not at work, I love taking care of my vegetable garden, hanging out with my pets and husband and exploring mother nature.
OR and AS Staff
Members of the Operating Room (OR) and Administrative Supervisor (AS) staff were nominated for The Daisy Award for their exceptional care during an emergency situation with a patient in flash pulmonary edema. Members of the staff worked frantically to stabilize the patient's respiratory status and completed multiple rounds of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) protocol. After 45 minutes and exhausting most of the medications in the crash cart, there was no improvement in the patient.
When the emergency room physician and primary surgeon went to speak with the patient's family, an OR technician discovered a weak pulse on the patient, who was no longer being ventilated. The staff returned to the OR and performed another round of CPR and ALCS protocol. They also gave the patient a medication for pulmonary hypertension. There was an immediate response and the flash pulmonary edema began to subside. The patient finally stabilized and was transported to the ICU.
After spending a few months in the ICU, the patient was transferred to a rehab facility and is now back to work!
The Telemetry Unit
For the first time, the coveted DAISY Award has been given to an entire department: Telemetry! The Telemetry Unit was nominated for the staff's tireless efforts and constant caring of a special needs patient who visited the unit regularly over the past year, sometimes staying for weeks. As challenging as the situation sometimes became, the Telemetry Unit staff came through every time. At holidays, they even decorated the patient’s room and consistently went above and beyond their normal duties in many ways to ensure the patient felt as ‘at home’ as possible. As is the case with all of their patients, they strive to give the best possible care to every patient every time and especially to those patients who need that extra touch.
May Ronci
Number of years as RN: 4
Number of years working at Palmdale Regional: 4
Number of years on current specialty (ICU): 4
What do you love most about nursing: Being able to make a difference not only for patients, but family members as well.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing: I love to hike. I go to the gym in the morning before work. I love Disneyland — “the happiest place on earth” especially — and my friends and my daughter.
Donna Singledecker
Number of years as RN: 23
Number of years working at Palmdale Regional: 3.5
Number of years on current specialty (Tele): 16
What do you love most about nursing: One thing that I love most about nursing is interacting with patients and families. Sometimes it can be a challenge finding ways to get through to them, but I have always enjoyed developing that relationship and hearing them say at the end of the day, “you have been a wonderful nurse, thank you.”
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing: I enjoy spending time with my family and doing fun things together like going to the beach in the summertime and skiing in the winter time.