Nikki Recchioni, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN, of the Christiana Hospital Emergency Department, received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for December 2018.

Christiana Care DAISY Award recipients are nurses recognized for meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of patients and families by displaying exceptional clinical skills, compassion, respect and partnership.

The DAISY nomination from an assistant nurse manager in the Emergency Department illustrates the actions and unique perspective that make Recchioni such an exceptional nurse.

Nikki Recchioni, BSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN

“Nursing is a challenging profession, especially in the Emergency Department,” the nomination said. “Many unpredictable and unforeseen events happen daily that can cause even the most even-keeled person to stress. Nikki thrives in these situations. She rolls with the punches and quickly finds solutions rather than dwelling on the problem at hand. She understands flow and departmental needs, while always looking out for the well-being of patients and staff.

“Just the other night, four trauma alerts and codes were called within a span of 20 minutes of each other and Nikki was our charge nurse. She spoke with all of the doctors and nurses in the area and quickly formulated a plan to gather additional resources to care for the patients as they arrived.

When Nikki was checking on multiple nurses to ensure they had what they needed, a trauma alert arrived. The patient, who was injured in a motor vehicle collision, had his young son in his lap. Nikki immediately entered the room, picked up the child, looked him right in the eye and told him he was going to be a brave boy while his daddy got looked at. As a trauma clinical leader in the department, she also knew this boy could be at risk for secondary injuries. Nikki sat the child down in the same room as dad and began assessing him with a gentle, comforting conversation.

Many people who deal with these scenarios focus on the trauma patient. Nikki looks at the bigger picture – which is why she is so successful in this department. Just as she took care of that child, she takes care of our department. I am very grateful she is a member of our team.”

The family of J. Patrick Barnes created the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award in 1999 to honor his memory with a tribute to the skillful and compassionate care he received from his nurses during his hospitalization. Today, more than 2,500 health care facilities in every state in the U.S. and in 21 other countries honor nurses with the DAISY Award.

The Professional Nurse Council at Christiana Care selects DAISY Award recipients using an anonymous selection process based on nominations from patients, families and all members of the Christiana Care team. All nurses — inpatient, outpatient and VNA — are eligible.

Click here to nominate a Christiana Care nurse for a DAISY Award.

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