Clinical Nurse, Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) 

Nominated by former Nurse Director  Kathleen Leone, MBA, BSN, RN; with letters of support from Carol Daddio Pierce, MS, RN, CCRN, clinical nurse educator, Karen Meyers, MS, RN, CCRN, nurse-in-charge and Marjorie Rogers, BSN, RN, CCRN, clinical nurse colleague, all in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) 

As a clinical nurse in the MICU, Hayley Tuon, BSN, RN, CCRN, regularly cares for critically ill patients, often in the end stages of complex illnesses, who require care from an inter-professional team of experts. In their nomination materials in support of Tuon, her colleagues repeatedly praised the key attributes including her ability to lead others on behalf of the patient and her compassion during critical situations.

“Hayley is an expert critical care practitioner,” wrote Carol Daddio Pierce, MS, RN, CCRN, clinical nurse educator in the MICU, in a letter of support. “She is masterful in adapting the patient’s plan of care, using effective communication and collaboration skills to meet the cultural, economic and spiritual needs of the patient and their loved ones.”

One example included in her nomination, recounted an extremely difficult situation throughout which Tuon provided compassionate, caring and inclusive care. She was caring for a patient who suffered from advanced stage cancer and whose large, extended family disagreed on the course of treatment chosen by his wife, his health care proxy. As the level of tension rose, Tuon continued to carefully address each relative’s concerns and was able to diffuse the situation. Her nomination continues, “Hayley understood that this family was grieving. She treated them with dignity and compassion, and led the entire team to do the same.”

In her clinical narrative, Tuon described an elderly patient she cared for who had sepsis and multiple other co-morbidities. During his one month stay in the MICU, she noticed that one of his family members skipped meals, went without showering and refused to go home at night, favoring sleeping in the waiting room. Tuon recounted getting to know this family member and attempting to understand where she was coming from. “I came to understand her relationship with the patient from her perspective. This changed the tone of our conversations,” Tuon continued. “Through these therapeutic discussions, I was able to help her slowly come to grips with the patient’s impending death.”

In their letter of support, Karen Meyers, MS, RN, CRRN, and Marjorie Rogers, BSN, RN, CCRN, offer a example of Tuon’s care for a patient who benefited from her focused, steadfast approach when she was able to transition to the patient to an inpatient rehab despite multiple setbacks. They write, “Our entire staff applauds what Hayley  does best – nursing her patients to their maximum potential.”

Tuon earned her BSN at the University of Rhode Island. She has practiced at BWH since 2001.