Shirley Elmendorf, RN, F5/H5 – NICU
Please join the Center for Nursing Excellence in congratulating Shirley Elmendorf, RN, for being selected as the DAISY Award recipient for the month of December!
Shirley Elmendorf, RN, F5/H5 – NICU, and was nominated by a Family Member of a Patient. The nominations below reflects how Shirley impacted their lifes in a very special way.
Nomination #1:
My granddaughter Amelia was admitted to the NICU on Monday, April 21, 2025, after being delivered at 27 weeks. Saturday, April 26, 2025, was the first day Shirley Elmendorf was assigned to her care. Being a former ICU nurse myself, I immediately noticed a level of excellence in the nursing care provided by Shirley, and I encouraged my son and his wife to ask her to be their daughter’s primary nurse. After a couple of weeks in the NICU, they asked her and she accepted. Shirley’s experience and wisdom were a true comfort to all of us during such a stressful time. She was so loving and caring and patient with our entire family and truly lifted us up when we were so worried and had bouts of uncertainty. She gave us her time and attention, answered all our questions, and taught us all the nuances of how to properly care for Amelia. Early on, she made sure to involve Amelia’s parents in their daughter’s care which was incredibly important being that this was their first child and this was such a traumatic introduction to parenthood that didn’t foster attachment. Shirley did everything she could to combat that in order that the connection to their daughter could develop, grow and ultimately flourish. After 152 long days in the NICU, they left as confident and happy parents with a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Their confidence and happiness can be attributed to Shirley’s teaching and support. After 152 days, we experienced the care of many nurses in the NICU, and although we had other good nurses, Shirley’s care goes absolutely unmatched. Her attention to details such as cleaning of the room and equipment each and every shift and practicing perfect hygiene habits without fail were greatly appreciated. Her immediate responses to alarms and her meticulous assessment of the patient were noted. Her attention to detail with her medication administration, nursing skills, and charting were constantly evident. Her gentle manner, calm nature, and soothing voice are perfectly suited to the care of neonates and anxious family members. And finally, her years of experience give her an intuition and sense that is extremely comforting and instilled in us a confidence that could not come from anything else. We thank God for sending us an angel in Shirley. No one could be more deserving of this DAISY Award.
Nomination #2:
Being a physician, specifically an anesthesiologist, I work closely with many nurses on a daily basis and therefore notice and appreciate nursing care that goes above and beyond the normal standard of care. I immediately noticed this extraordinary level of care from Shirley when seeing her take care of my granddaughter in the NICU beginning in April 2025. I was thankful she agreed to be my granddaughter’s primary nurse. She exhibited this same extraordinary level of care throughout the five months my granddaughter stayed in the NICU. Her meticulous attention to monitoring the patient, administering fluids and medications, ensuring treatments were timely and properly done, and promptly informing physicians and other members of the care team of changes were among some of the things I noticed right off. She also took the time to listen to our concerns, answer any questions, and guide us as we dealt with the stress of our first granddaughter being born at 27 weeks gestation. Over time, she helped us endure the lengthy NICU stay by counseling us based on her past experiences which was extremely helpful to us. She exhibited an overall diligence in all aspects of nursing care that is highly deserving of this recognition.
Thank you, Shirley!