Cardiac Care Nurse Receives DAISY Nomination from Team

The Cardiac Care Center team nominated Catherine Braudrick, RN, from the Electrophysiology Lab, to be the DAISY recipient for March.

“It’s difficult to isolate one specific event during which Catherine went above and beyond,” the team wrote. “She exceeds even the highest expectations of care on a daily basis to every patient that she comes in contact with.”

The Cardiac Care Center sees patients who need procedures done on their heart. Because of this, they can often be anxious or sometimes even terrified. Her teammates say Catherine is often the first to put a patient’s mind at ease, taking the time to explain every single step and giving them the opportunity to ask questions.

Catherine routinely kneels beside stretchers to personalize communication and hold a patient’s hand if they need comfort.

Her team said: “It’s truly an accomplishment that after so many years as a nurse, she hasn’t lost sight of the fact that this is not routine for the patient even though it may be routine for us.”

One such example given by her team illustrates Catherine’s deep care and concern for patients and their families.

To understand the situation, it’s important to note that the Cardiac Cath Lab and Electrophysiology Lab (where Catherine works) are two separate areas with separate nursing staff.

One evening, a patient came through the Emergency Department having a heart attack. He was brought to the Cath Lab. Catherine and the Electrophysiology Lab staff were leaving for the day, but Catherine noticed the patient’s wife alone in the waiting room in distress.

Catherine sat with that patient’s wife until she received an update that the patient was going to be okay.

Additional to her high standard of care for her patients, Catherine is an ideal coworker, according to her team.

“Her spirit and enthusiasm are contagious and the love she has for her work is inspiring,” they wrote.

She cares about her fellow nurses and often will volunteer to stay late or come in on a day she is supposed to have off. She’s stayed late to help a coworker whose family member was in the hospital, an act of selflessness that is still remembered by that coworker.

Having worked in cardiology for decades, Catherine has an overwhelming amount of knowledge. She is always willing to mentor nurses and share her experience in the most encouraging and supportive way.

Thank you, Catherine, for being a great example of Carepassion to your patients and your teammates.

Catherine was presented the DAISY Award by Megan McCabe, Cardiac Services Administrator, left and Lynne Shopiro, Interim Chief Nursing Officer.

About the DAISY Award
In November 1999, the family of J. Patrick Barnes formed the DAISY Foundation as a way to express their profound gratitude to nurses for the work they do for patients and their families every day. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. Pat died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. In 2015, Crouse became a DAISY-affiliated hospital, and presents an award to a deserving nurse, selected by a committee, regularly throughout the year. The DAISY Award program at Crouse has been made possible through a donation from the Crouse Hospital Medical Staff.