Jacob Pooser, RN, works in the Pediatric Intensive Care unit at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. He is one of the latest Vanderbilt Health DAISY Award winners.
From the nomination
“Jacob was an exceptional nurse from his bedside manner, professionalism and depth of knowledge. My wife and I had to abruptly bring our 3-month-old son in and he was quickly put into PICU. It was very hard on us as first-time parents and the severity of his issues. The next morning Jacob became our nurse. He immediately made a huge difference in the situation. Jacob answered every single question we asked over his 12-hour shift; each answer we could feel how sincere and knowledgeable he was. He promptly got everything we needed throughout the day and most of the time he had everything before we could even ask. He was so delightful to our parents who came to visit who were also very worried and he stayed and answered every single question they had, even if they were repeated questions.
“One of the most beneficial and impactful moments was early in the morning he insisted my wife and I should go together downstairs to get breakfast and coffee and prepare for the day. We never leave our baby boy but he told us he would watch him and make sure he stayed asleep and he did exactly that. Without his wisdom and that moment, my wife and I would not have gotten that much needed break and reset. He reassured us during the whole day, making us feel like we are good parents because it is easy to blame yourself when your baby is sick. He shared moments and situations he had with his children and he gave us tips throughout the day to help us. He did all those things for us while also tending to our baby boy who was also obsessed with Jacob. Jacob deserves all the recognition in the world and because of him we are better parents. He made a bad situation somewhat tolerable.”
About DAISY Awards
The DAISY Award is a recognition for extraordinary nurses who exemplify compassion toward patients and families.
Vanderbilt Health distributes the award in partnership with The DAISY Foundation, which was formed in 1999 to honor the memory of J. Patrick Barnes, a 33-year-old man who died of complications of the autoimmune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). Barnes’ family was moved by the care they received from his nurses and wanted to recognize them to preserve his memory. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.
Vanderbilt Health nurse committees determine the individual recipients. Previous recipients of the DAISY Award are here. The award is open to all licensed nurses, and anyone can nominate — including co-workers, patients and their families.
