“As a nursing student, it’s difficult to question a nurse with more experience than oneself,” says Michelle Rudman, the clinical instructor for Taylor Showers, a student of Carrington College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program, who works at Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center as a Nurse Apprentice and has been doing her clinical work at Renown South Meadows Hospital in Reno, Nevada. But that’s exactly what Taylor did during her clinical when she observed a reference nurse change out a bag of IV fluids for a patient. She noticed remnants of a kind of medicine in the tubing which she knew could possibly harm, even possibly be life threatening to that particular patient if it entered his bloodstream. She suggested to the nurse they get a new set of tubing for the IV fluid even if it meant re-programming the pump. As a good team player, Taylor showed a sharp clinical knowledge and dedication to advocating for the patient’s safety. A safe and effective hospital is dependent on its staff working as a team to constantly work in tandem with each other to bring the highest level of care to a patient. That kind of positive impact was commended, and Taylor was recognized with the DAISY Award in a ceremony last May.
How does this recognition impact her future? Taylor tells us how.
Tell me about yourself. How did you decide you wanted to be a nurse?
I was born in Reno. I always wanted to do nursing; but first, when I was 18, I opted to work for a corporate law office as a paralegal because I made good money. I worked there for a year and a half. Then I worked as a paralegal and an office manager in a corporate law office that practiced family and criminal law for the next four and a half years. This year, in June, I married my partner of seven years, who went to nursing school four years ago and is now a supervisor at Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center on the medical/surgical unit.
How did you decide to apply for Carrington College’s ADN program?
There was another school I was trying to get into but the waitlist was so long; then COVID happened and I felt I was getting older. So even though it was more expensive it was a faster track. I started Carrington College when I was 24.
How does it feel to receive the DAISY AWARD?
I was shocked because I’ve known a lot of people that have been nominated, but it’s pretty competitive to actually get the award! So I was very thankful to be awarded it.
What does it mean to you, personally?
Well, honestly I don’t like to be the center of attention. But the day it happened, the Dean interrupted our class to make the announcement. I felt very proud in the moment, because I was being awarded for knowing it’s the small things that can really matter in nursing. I wasn’t a nurse yet, but it made me more determined to continue advocating for patients going forward.
Do you think the DAISY Award will have an impact on your career?
I’ve been told if you have a DAISY award as a new grad, you have a better opportunity to go where I want to go. My career goal after I graduate is to work on a pediatric unit. So I’m encouraged to apply for PICU (the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) now, and they usually don’t take new graduates.
Do you have any words of wisdom for students going through Carrington College’s ADN program now?
I would say this: it’s hard and there are days you want to give up, to walk away, and you leave school that day upset or disappointed something didn’t work out for you. But remember, that’s just a quick set back. Because – it can also be the most rewarding thing you could put yourself through. And the reward at the end of your career is that you spent it helping those who couldn’t help themselves. So, my advice is to just keep tight and keep plugging along – because it’s worth it.
In celebration of this moment, what are you going to do?
Well, maybe we’ll go to dinner, but we’re pretty busy. My husband is a nurse and getting his Masters now, and I have a five-month-old and work all the time. So…I guess we will…Sometime soon.
