Traci Siler, director of the ED (left), and Matt Whaley, interim hospital CEO (right), congratulate Daisy Award honoree Jean Sok (center).
It’s not unusual for nurses across the Pipeline Health System to go above and beyond to serve their patients.
Yet a nurse at Memorial Hospital of Gardena went above and beyond to render care to a patient’s family member–outside the hospital.
On Thanksgiving Day, a family arrived at the facility to say a final goodbye to their father, who had just passed away in the intensive care unit.
According to Traci Siler, director of the Emergency Department, upon arrival in the parking lot, the son was overcome with grief, and this grief triggered a grand mal seizure while he was in the car with his mother.
“ED nurse Jean Sok and the ER team ran out to the car to provide care, but the son weighed approximately 350 pounds and was having agonal breathing,” she said. “Without hesitation,
Jean jumped in and immediately pulled the man out of the car and placed him on the gurney, allowing the team to intervene and render the needed care.”
Siler continued, “This was truly a heroic act, and if he did not intervene, the team would have struggled to get the son out of the car due to his size, and the outcome may not have been as positive. Jean is a clear example of an expectational nurse and an asset to our team.”
In recognition of his heroic care and compassion, Sok received the Daisy Award Dec. 15.
“It is an honor to be recognized by my peers and by patients,” Sok said. “I had a great team to back me up, and I knew that the patient needed help immediately, so I instinctually reacted,”
Sok started working at Memorial Hospital of Gardena on the hospital’s medical-surgical unit as a newly graduated registered nurse in 2019. After gaining experience in this area, he transferred to the Emergency Department in 2021.
Jan. 18, 2023