Kristi Sherrod, RN
Kristi Sherrod, RN, works at the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Clarksville Dunlop Lane clinic. She is one of the latest Vanderbilt Health DAISY Award winners.
From the nomination
“I had a venogram with possible embolization intervention depending on the findings. I made it known to Kristi my greatest fear wasn’t the surgery itself, but being fully restrained, basically naked, and half conscious. During the procedure she was consistently making sure I was okay and comfortable and that she and everyone else kept me as covered as I could be. She advocated for me the whole time and I honestly can’t describe how much her help meant to me.
“During the procedure she had me answer questions about my hobbies, work, and my hopes for the future, helping to keep me distracted. She was VERY attentive when I started showing more anxiety, and she helped keep me grounded (I have a dissociative disorder, so that’s a huge deal for me). I don’t have the words to explain just how helpful she was. She is the only reason I didn’t have a panic attack while prepping for the procedure. I told her I am autistic and the crying I was doing was just from being overstimulated and scared, so after I was taken into the OR, she told me to make sure to tell her if I needed people to stop touching me for a moment so I could breathe and feel some control. That is something most people don’t even think about. She was kind, attentive, and courageous on my behalf. I hope she is my RN every single time I have the chance to have her. Thank you, Kristi!”
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.
