Jennifer VanSant honored with DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses

Jennifer VanSant, BSN, RN, of Christiana Care’s Visiting Nurse Association, received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for April 2018.

Christiana Care DAISY Award recipients are nurses recognized for meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of patients and families by displaying exceptional clinical skills, compassion, respect and partnership. This DAISY nomination came from the mother of a patient.

“I wanted to let you know about one of your amazing nurses, Jen VanSant,” the nomination said. “Jen was my daughter’s Visiting Nurse shortly after she was diagnosed with stage IVA cervical cancer until she passed a year later.

“Jen was a godsend. She and my daughter had a great rapport. My daughter had been attending Del Tech for nursing and it was a joy for me listen to them talking ‘nurse’ together.

“We always looked forward to Jen’s visit. An active advocate for my daughter, she contacted the doctors, hospitals and supply companies for her, and made sure whatever was needed got done. The doctors we visited were impressed with the level of care Jen provided. We relied on her advice, which included suggestions for nutrition, general care and expectations. Jen sent us test results as soon as she received them, at times calling to let us know we needed to go to the hospital – and she kept in touch during hospital stays.

“Jen was always caring, pleasant and professional. She made us laugh when we were down. She made an incredibly difficult time much easier for us. I can’t express in words how appreciative we were to have Jen in our lives at this time. I learned from watching her that nursing is an incredibly hard but rewarding job. You know just from listening to her that she loves her job. Jen is truly and outstanding nurse.”

Established in 1999, the family of J. Patrick Barnes created the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award to honor his memory with a tribute to the skillful and compassionate care he received from his nurses during his hospitalization. Today, more than 2,500 health care facilities in every state and 15 countries honor nurses with the DAISY Award.

The Professional Nurse Council at Christiana Care selects DAISY Award recipients using a blind selection process based on nominations from patients, families and all members of the Christiana Care team. All nurses — inpatient, outpatient and VNA — are eligible.