DAISY Nurse Leader Award—Ling Tieu, B.S.N., N.S., R.N., C.M.S.R.N.
Ling Tieu, B.S.N., N.S., R.N., C.M.S.R.N.
ANII, Davis 14 Ortho/Trauma Unit
Ling Tieu, ANII, makes an extraordinary impact on the lives of our patients by delivering excellent services to our patients and their families. Ling has been a consistent leader collaborating with the Geriatric CNS and others in implementing the NICHE and IHI Age-Friendly programs on Davis 14 and the rest of the hospital. Ling was part of the initial Leadership Training Program (LTP) for NICHE representing UCDH. As part of the LTP group she participated in helping to design our NICHE vision statement, complete a SWOT analysis, and evaluate data to identify areas for opportunities to improve the care of our older adult patients.
Ling not only helped to develop the Geriatric Resource Nurse (GRN) program as part of NICHE, but also became a participant in the first GRN Cohort. While participating in the GRN program she continued to provide input and leadership to help ensure the program was a success. She helped support the GRN cohort by creating a resource binder on the unit with geriatric assessment tools and provided significant feedback on the development of the SPICES tool used to do geriatric assessments and competencies at the bedside. Ling has an excellent ability to provide input and guidance to ensure adoptability and accuracy of tools and processes. As a GRN Ling helped lead Davis 14 in evaluating hearing enhancer devices to assist patients who are hard of hearing.
Ling has gone above and beyond in supporting the Geriatric CNS and the geriatric programs by always making herself available to provide input and perspectives to improve nursing practice; she made valuable suggestions to help improve outcomes and staff competence in caring for older adults. By implementing the IHI Age-Friendly and NICHE GRN programs, D14 was able to impact care of older adults (>65 years old) in 2021 compared to 2020 by decreasing falls by 50%, by decreasing the average length of stay of older adults with a delirium diagnosis by 5.8 days and by decreasing restraint incidence by 43%. Ling is not only dedicated to improving care for older adults, but she also prioritizes the needs of the staff nurses to ensure they are supported with tools and education to provide evidenced-based geriatric care. She even helped educate UC staff state-wide as a Delirium Symposium panel member.
On the unit, Ling communicates effectively with the nurse manager on patient, staff, and unit issues; she partners with the leadership team, provides just in time coaching, addresses unit safety concerns, and escalates issues that require timely intervention. Ling supports management directives and actively pursues unit and hospital goals. Ling is an active participant in the Discharge by 1400 workgroup to support hospital throughput so that beds are available for patients to receive the care that they need. Through the pandemic surges, Ling continues to support the unit with a smile on her face even during the toughest days. Ling is a compassionate and caring nurse proactively reviewing staffing numbers and volunteering to work extra shifts to fill in the gaps so that the unit is staffed appropriately. On her days off she can be found at the vaccination clinic protecting our patients from COVID by administering vaccinations.
Behind the scenes, Ling works diligently to ensure that the nurses are supported to deliver excellent patient care. She takes a lead role in the quarterly par cart review process ensuring availability of needed supplies to support patient care. She works closely with the Distribution department to guarantee that appropriate and adequate supplies are available on the carts. Ling is the coordinator of the anti-slip resistant shoe program ensuring that staff receive new shoes every 6 months to prevent nursing staff injury. Ling works effortlessly to help our unit stay positive and ensure everyone is recognized for their hard work; she organizes parties/celebrations, decorates the unit, provides snacks, supports staff engagement with Best Rewards and many other things to recognize our nurses for their hard work. Ling is always available for staff, answering their questions, acknowledging their hard work and finding ways to lift staff morale so that our nurses can be present for their patients.
Ling has a compassionate heart which drives her dedication to improve patient care. She is well deserving of the DAISY Nurse Leader Award and the recognition of the extraordinary impact she has on our patients and their loved ones.