DAISY Award—Dana Covington

Dana Covington
Nursing Supervisor

Nominator: Carolyn Mofidi

Through the years, Dana Covington has led UC Davis Health through some of the most difficult situations, always providing a sense of support, stability and commitment to the mission and vision of the hospital and the nurses who work here. Dana possesses the skill to lead with trust, benevolence and respect. Whenever we call her for assistance, she is always accessible to, available for, and responsive to our needs and concerns. Because of this I believe that Dana deserves the DAISY Nurse Leader Award for all that she does to lead and empower others, and her ability to problem solve and utilize critical thinking to expeditiously resolve tough situations.

During the COVID pandemic, Dana was a constant resource on policy and procedures to ensure the staff were safe and protected at all times. She was always abreast of the latest precautions that needed to be taken, always keeping in mind, and ensuring that both safety and quality patient care was maintained. During this unknown, new and very scary time, Dana was a safe place for staff both physically and emotionally. I remember clinging to her words as she would give us hospital updates, and even though frightening, she was always transparent, confident, and compassionate about ensuring both the staff and patients were safe. She was an advocate for what we needed in order to do out jobs safely and effectively.

On Tower 4 alone, Dana has relentlessly been a constant source of support as we have had to call on her for a multitude of incidents over the past couple of years. From beds catching fire, to a patient breaking the hospital window with a fire extinguisher, to dealing with an agitate patient who armed himself with a full urinal and the staff need to use a mattress to protect themselves, Dana has seen and dealt with it all. With each instance, Dana always stayed calm and collected and quickly controlled the situation. She is an expert with turning chaos into serenity and always maintaining professionalism and composure. But above all, she is a champion for ensuring the staff were safe and cared for.

Dana possesses all of the qualities that an extraordinary leader exhibits. When I became a leader, I shadowed her in her role as nursing supervisor. I remember being in awe of some of the decision she would make to benefit the hospital as whole. I wanted to learn how to emulate her decision-making processes. I often made recommendations to other new leaders and nursing students to shadow her and learn from how she operated and thought. She always maintains a keen sense of integrity. She is honest and fair with her decisions. Even though not all conflicts may be easy to resolve, Dana remains humble and utilizes humility when learning from her or other’s mistakes. She promotes teamwork and a positive work environment. She connects with the nurses, often remembering personal circumstances and is empathetic when referring back to them. She is not just a leader, but a friend, mentor and confidant. She motivates, encourages, and inspires us to do better and be successful. As John Quincy Adam once stated “ If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, so more and become more, you are a leader.” Dana is that perfect example of a Nurse Leader.