Cleveland Clinic’s operating philosophy is “patients first.” Rebecca Mitchell, MSN, RN CCRN-CMC, takes this philosophy a step further — she treats every patient like a Very Important Person (VIP). It was this approach that led to her receiving the DAISY Award, which is given by the DAISY Foundation to “celebrate and recognize nurses by collecting nominations from patients, families and co-workers.”  

Rebecca is a bedside nurse in the Cardiovascular Short Stay Unit on Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus, where patients who have had vascular surgery, thoracic surgery and other cardiovascular procedures recover from anesthesia. It’s a busy floor, but Rebecca appreciates the tempo. “It’s super fast-paced, but it’s a great unit,” she says. “It’s very patients first and very team-oriented. We do whatever we can to help each other help the patient.” 

Support from the organization 

Having worked in other hospitals in the Cleveland area (including on a contract basis at Cleveland Clinic), Rebecca appreciates everything Cleveland Clinic has to offer to its caregivers, especially nurses. “As far as the path for nurses goes, there is nothing like Cleveland Clinic,” she says. “The Stanley Shalom Nursing Education Institute is the best in terms of nursing education.” 

When she started at Cleveland Clinic, Rebecca had a bachelor’s degree. “My manager was talking to me about getting a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), but she saw that I already had a bachelor’s degree. So, she said, ‘why don’t you go right to MSN (Master of Science in Nursing)?'” 

Rebecca’s manager told her that there were MSN programs that would give her credit toward her BSN if she took some bridge courses. “That’s what Cleveland Clinic does: it encourages its nurses to go beyond,” she says. 

And to sweeten the deal, “Cleveland Clinic paid for my MSN degree. There wasn’t one dime out of my pocket.” 

For Rebecca, Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to education for its nurses is what separates it from other hospitals. “There are always opportunities to grow and learn,” she says. The proof is in the caliber of the nurses, she believes. “I think we have the best nurses in the world.”   

Treating with heart 

The DAISY Award came about as a result of Rebecca simply doing her job the way she always does. A patient who had had a valve replacement procedure had some complications after the surgery. As it happened, the patient was a nurse herself. “Nurses are very vulnerable when they’re patients,” Rebecca says.  

Rebecca spoke to the patient to reassure her about the evidence-based practice utilized by Cleveland Clinic, and this made quite an impression on the patient and her sister (who was also a nurse). “Her outcome was very good, because we are so focused on evidence-based practice,” Rebecca says. “She said she felt very at ease with my knowledge base and that discussion of evidence-based practice.” 

In nominating Rebecca for the award, the patient wrote on the DAISY Foundation website, “From the moment this nominee walked into the room, I knew she was an experienced nurse. She took control of the room with confidence, and her presence alone helped me immensely in my recovery. I think what impressed me the most was that this nominee picked up on my anxiety and created a safe space for me to be vulnerable.” 

Winning the DAISY Award was a validation of Rebecca’s approach to treating patients. “I teach nursing. And I always tell my students, your patients will not remember how well you titrated that drip or adjusted the pump. What they’ll remember is that you warmed their feet with a blanket. You helped them walk to the bathroom. That’s what they’re going to remember about you as a nurse, the human piece of it. How you speak to them, how you speak to their family, how comfortable you make them.” 

The best place to start 

Rebecca’s advice to new grad nurses about where to start their career? It goes back to the education, the training and the support that will be available to them. 

“In my teaching, I do a lot of recruiting for Cleveland Clinic,” she says. “I recruited a nurse who was a wonderful student. I told her that if she wants to be an ICU nurse, she has to come to Cleveland Clinic, because she can start as a new grad, and she’ll get the appropriate training. She’s going to learn more.  

“When you have Cleveland Clinic nursing on your resume, there’s no end in sight. We have so much support and such high-quality educational experiences. And it always amazes me how quickly these new grads learn.”