DAISY Award will recognize nurses for patient- and family-centered care
A new awards program at Christiana Care Health System will recognize exceptional nurses for the patient- and family-centered care they give. The Professional Nurse Council will present The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses each month to a Christiana Care nurse in recognition of the difference nurses make every day in the lives of our patients and their families.
“A lot of programs honor nurses who perform outstanding clinical work,” explains Allison Steuber, MSN, RN III, CEN, who chairs the Professional Nurse Council at Christiana Care. “The DAISY Award goes a step further to recognize the impact nurses have daily in patients’ lives.”
Steuber first learned about the DAISY Award when she heard the founders of The DAISY Foundation speak at a Magnet Conference. The family of J. Patrick Barnes created DAISY – an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System – in 1999 to honor his memory with a tribute to the skillful and compassionate care he received from his nurses during his hospitalization. The family established The DAISY Award as a way to say thank you to nurses everywhere. They never dreamed that today more than 1,700 healthcare facilities in all 50 U.S. states and 11 countries would be honoring nurses with this award.
Patients, families and all members of the Christiana Care team may nominate nurses who have made a significant impact at http://www.christianacare.org/daisyaward. All nurses — inpatient, outpatient and Visiting Nurse Association — are eligible.
Every month, the 13-member Professional Nurse Council will select one DAISY Award honoree in a blind review process. A member of the PNC, nursing leadership and a nurse manager will surprise the honoree at work with a special certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a hand-carved stone sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.” The celebration will include Cinnabon cinnamon rolls — a favorite of Patrick’s during his illness. The person who made the nomination is also invited to attend the ceremony. All winning nurses will receive recognition at the annual Excellence in Nursing Awards.
“We especially hope to hear from patients and families during the nomination process,” says Diane Talarek, MA, RN, NE-BC, chief nursing officer and senior vice president, Patient Care Services. “Nurses are at the bedside, in the exam room and in patient homes day in and day out providing care. The DAISY Award provides the perfect forum to recognize and celebrate the positive impact our nurses have on the lives of others.”
Nominations for the first DAISY Award, to be presented in October, will be accepted between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15. Each month on the 15th, the process will begin again. The strongest nominations will be held over for consideration in subsequent months, and every nurse receiving a nomination will be informed.
“The DAISY Award captures the very essence of our mission at Christiana Care — patient- and family-centered care,” says Judith A. Townsley, MSN, RN, CPAN, vice president, Perioperative Services, and professional adviser for the Professional Nurse Council. “We become nurses to care for patients, not expecting anything in return. The DAISY Award will allow 12 of our nurses each year to truly understand the impact of their work, and allow us to recognize them for their dedication.”
To nominate a nurse for The DAISY Award, use the online nomination form.