Health care careers are all about moments. Some are huge and life changing, but most are small gestures that are mighty in their impact.
For patients, these encouraging little gestures add up. Daysha Lilly, RN, a floor and charge nurse at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital, knows all about them.
Make a Difference at Avera
You can make a difference in the lives of others. See what nursing jobs are open.
Search Jobs
“I work with the most talented, thoughtful group,” said Lilly, who serves patients on the medical/surgical/pediatrics floor. “Being kind to people comes naturally to me, but my team inspires me daily to be the best.”
Lilly is known to do things patients see, feel and love. She’s quick to take someone’s hand and sit for a few minutes. She might give up five minutes or so while she paints a patient’s nails. She braids and brushes hair.
“Doing someone’s hair or nails shows them they’re valid,” she said. “They’re not a diagnosis. They’re a person.” Lilly said small creative comforts actually help overall health, to lift spirits of someone gloomy or lonely.
“Our entire facility focuses on fixing problems and finding solutions for patients and families,” she added.
Crossing the Country for a Great Place in Nursing
Lilly was born in Alaska, but grew up near Phoenix, where she attended high school and completed her training as an RN. Jobs were everywhere for her, but none in acute-care nursing.
“I read about Avera St. Luke’s online,” Lilly said. “Then I applied, they called and I interviewed. It happened fast.” She left family and the desert behind, then arrived in Great Plains of South Dakota with a one-year plan in mind.
“I just loved the hospital, and the Avera approach was so different at first,” she said. “I felt like God was guiding me. I found a house, and I got back to attending church.” The impact of this new “one year” job hit on both professional and personal levels, Lilly admitted.
That was more than a dozen years ago. Now, with her husband, Brian, and daughter, Gracie, Lilly is certain she has found her place.
Rising to Nurse Leader with Strength in Patient Care
Example-setters were commonplace for Lilly as she continued her nursing career.
“Early on, a coworker had a patient so worried about having dirty underclothes,” she said. “She bought him some socks and underwear. It’s what you do.”
Yet in time, she embodied the standards of care. “She is a role model for Avera nurses, and has had many roles, from RN to charge nurse, where she showed the way,” said Jenn Kludt, RN, BSN, Inpatient Director of Nursing at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital.
Kludt said Lilly often demonstrates the Avera CARE standards:
- Communication
- Attitude
- Responsiveness
- Engagement
Her dedication led her to “rise to the top” as Kludt said, serving in leadership roles, as a charge nurse and in other places where her skill, patience and experience help patients – and her team.
“The many little things she does for patients – she does those for her team, too,” said Angie Comstock, Avera St. Luke’s Director of Inpatient Operations. “During COVID, she took it upon herself to give colleagues little encouraging notes.” Comstock said teammates will find them on their desks or in their locker.
“Daysha really seems natural as a nurse,” she added.
Avera Team Focuses on Giving Time to Patients
As a student, Lilly learned nursing. In Aberdeen she learned how to care for patients with simple acts.
“So many kindhearted, sympathetic people, and we understand how 10 minutes can be so valuable,” Lilly said. “Holding a hand, doting on someone – it’s the right thing to do, and can truly change a patient’s mindset.”
Sharing the idea of success in her career is another place Lilly thrives. “I always ask our students, ‘So, you’re going to work here, right?’ – and some will stay,” she said. “When you see those young people who have ‘it’ when it comes to care, you hope they’ll join our team.”
She knows not all will, yet she hopes to make an impression. “I hope they remember the way we care for people, no matter where they go.”
Read more stories about Avera employees.
