A nurse that SooToday.com is very proud of

Tanyia Yarema, a 1996 graduate of the nursing program at Sault College, has received a Daisy Foundation Award, recognizing extraordinary skills and exemplary representatives of the nursing profession.

Since her graduation, Tanyia has been moving around the United States with a nurse's travel group.

She's currently employed at Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco, and also works at other hospitals in the Bay area on her days off. The following is Tanyia's nomination form, as submitted by her hospital's director of nursing:

********************** The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses "Nurse of the Month" Nomination Form

I would like to nominate Tanyia Yarema in MZICU for the DAISY Award for Nursing Excellence.

My nominee is a true team player, a positive role model who exhibits excellent communication skills and a professional who is consistently caring and compassionate.

She "makes a difference" in the life of a patient and/or patient's family as indicated in the following detailed description/example:

Tanyia always takes the time to become involved with patients and their families.

She frequently is in the charge nurse role and this does not stop her from interacting with patients, she rounds on all the patients in the ICU that day talking with them and their families reassuring them and being a fierce advocate for their needs.

She develops relationships with the patient and family that extend outside the ICU.

She will take the time to go up to the other patient care areas to follow up on her patients and their families. She listens to their concerns and gives them advice.

Tanyia consistently in her role in the ICU exhibits the consistent caring and compassionate behaviors that exemplify this award.

One example, of many, is the case of one of our cancer patients and her family.

Tanyia developed a relationship while the patient was in the ICU here at Mt Zion.

The woman was not expected to survive the hospitalization.

Of course the family and patient had many concerns and feelings to deal with.

Tanyia supported the family and patient almost daily; she would come in on her days off to "touch base" with the patient and family.

She listened to their concerns, offered advice, reassurance and communicated this to the Surgical Attending.

This relationship did not end when the patient left the ICU to receive end of life care on 4E.

Tanyia continued to provide the same relationship on an almost daily basis for the family and patient by going to the patient's room on 4E, again coming in on her days off.

At this time the patient verbalized to Tanyia that now that she was out of the ICU, she had a fear of dying alone in the room in the middle of the night.

Again Tanyia supported the patient, communicated this to the 4E health care team and the family who began to have family members stay overnight.

When the patient died Tanyia continued to support the family members and provide what they needed.

I believe she still communicates with them.

Again this is just one example of what Tanyia does on a daily basis and she is highly deserving of this award.

- Virginia Terra Hodge

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