Medical-Surgical Nurse Recognized with Award for Extraordinary Care

Registered Nurse Jared Clodfelter, BSN, was named LVMC’s newest recipient of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Jared, who has been a Medical-Surgical nurse at LVMC since last September, is nicknamed “Sparkles” or “Dr. Sparkles” by his coworkers.

A nomination testimonial from the Case Management department noted that Jared “consistently goes above and beyond and works with the interdisciplinary team to ensure that all of this patients’ needs are met. He consistently goes above and beyond.”

The nomination told of a time when Jared was caring for an anxiety-ridden patient, and he spent the time to calm her, hold her hand, and gave her a manicure to soothe her discomfort. 

“This was an example of holistic nursing,” said Lead Case Management RN Miranda Pierce. “You were able to see the patient as a whole, and you were able to nurse her heart and soul.”

Another time, a gunshot victim was awaiting an assessment from physical therapy prior to discharge, and Jared spent more than four hours with the patient to ensure he was ambulatory and could safely be discharged.

“Your nursing care is the epitome of what nursing should be,” Pierce said. 

Jared “does everything that is asked of him,” nominations said. “He is consistently positive and encouraging for the staff and the patients.” Other comments noted Jared “radiates positivity,” “always leads with his heart,” “is always a patient advocate,” and is “responsive to all the patients on Med-Surg even when they’re not assigned to him.”

Jared was thankful for the award.

“It’s not just me, it’s everybody here,” Jared said. “I wouldn’t be the person that I am if I didn’t have the people who gave me the kindness and empathy that made me into the nurse that I am.” 

LVMC Board Chairwoman Leslie Kelly, RN, acknowledged that nursing is a team effort.

“We know you’re all exceptional, and today, you’re an inspiration, Jared,” Kelly said to the awardee and his coworkers.

The prestigious international award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care provided to patients and families every day. The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family and honors nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. Patrick Barnes died in 1999 at the age of 33 from complications caused by ITP, or Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, an auto-immune disease. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The foundation was inspired by the care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill. LVMC nominations are reviewed by an internal committee of representatives from nursing, non-nursing and non-clinical departments.

In addition to a certificate, Jared also received a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

Though he is a traveling nurse and not based permanently in Lompoc, Jared said working at LVMC has been a great experience.

“This place, I felt supported as soon as I walked through the door. Everyone’s so sweet. I feel like we’re a team, but more than that, we’re like a family. It’s very rare to find that.”

Jared, who is from Parkersburg, Illinois, previously worked as a Traveler nurse in Evansville, Indiana and Palm Springs. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Maryville University in St. Louis. He hopes to someday become a Nurse Practitioner. His sister is an Intensive Care Unit nurse, and inspired him to become a nurse. He enjoys his ability to affect a person’s clinical outcomes by the care he provides.

More information about the award is available at daisyfoundation.org. To nominate a nurse at LVMC, Lompoc Health, or the Comprehensive Care Center, see the nomination form at lompocvmc.com, under the Resources tab and Patient Feedback link.