DAISY AWARD RECIPIENT

for extraordinary nurses

ASHLEY SEDLARIK, RN, BSN

This month’s DAISY Award Honoree is Ashley Sedlarik, RN. The DAISY Award celebrates the extraordinary compassion a nurse shows to her patients and their families.

Ashley grew up in Goodrich and got her bachelor’s in biology from Oakland University. After finishing that degree, she didn’t really know what she wanted to do. She worked as an EMT for a few years. Seeing trauma nurses work as she delivered patients to the ER helped her decide to pursue that career. While she earned her RN degree at University of Michigan-Flint, she completed a clinical rotation in the PICU. As she says, “I loved it. It was the only position I applied for. Luckily, I got the job.” She’s been there for six years now.

Winning the DAISY Award was a big surprise. Ashley was observing in a patient’s room when her manager came and asked her to come to the nursing station. Her coworkers were waiting there to tell her that she won. The PICU is a demanding environment, with a variety of responsibilities. Besides the normal duties that nurses have, like administering medications to patients, Ashley also puts a lot of energy into helping the patients through the experience of being admitted to the hospital. PICU patients range in age from newborns to twenty, so on any given day she may be playing with kids with toys and games, comforting them with cuddling, or rocking babies and toddlers. Older kids might need to talk. Parents need to be comforted too, as it is always difficult for them to see their child sick and in the hospital. Ashley has to be there to help them understand everything that’s happening. It’s a tough environment, but worth it, as she explains, I like working with that wide age range, going from working with a baby to a teenager the next day. With that variety, you never know what you’re walking into. And the best part is seeing kids get better. They may come in really sick, but by the time they leave they’re back to their baseline and running around. Playing around like normal.”

When not at Hurley, she spends a lot of time with her family. She has a husband, Charlie, and two sons, Reed and Owen. Her sons are three and one years old, respectively. Ashley says, “I depend on them to help me, and my parents help us tremendously with babysitting. We love to travel and take family trips. We’re going to Germany next week. We get to see a German wedding. I’m really excited.”

Looking back, she says her favorite memories at Hurley all involve her fellow nurses. Ashley says, “I’ve become so close with so many nurses, and the good and bad moments really tie us together.”

“I like working with that wide age range, going from working with a baby to a teenager the next day. With that variety, you never know what you’re walking into.”

-Ashley Sedlarik, RN

Have you witnessed an extraordinary registered nurse in action? Nominate an exceptional RN for the DAISY Award. Nomination forms are available in the Cafeteria, 8W Nursing Office and on the Hurley intranet.