Adam Nelson, RN, Resource Pool, has been named a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses winner at SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.
Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen based on specific criteria to receive The DAISY Award. Awards are presented to one recipient on a quarterly basis at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors.
Nelson was nominated by a patient’s family who wrote:
“We first met Adam in the ER. My husband’s defibrillator went off at midnight, and he was transported to St. Agnes. From the get-go, Adam made you feel at ease and was confident in the direction he gave us. My husband was eventually admitted to the hospital, and the next morning Adam was his nurse again. Because my husband really didn’t want to be there, Adam talked to him about their mutual experience of running. This made my husband even more comfortable. It also made it easy to ask questions about doctors, treatment, etc. The next morning, the day of our release – Adam again, was our nurse. I really felt a bond and like a friend who came back to visit. Adam was very attentive, confident, and reassuring. He made our stay one that made us feel seen and cared about. Thank you, Adam.”
Nelson was recently recognized during a brief ceremony. He received a certificate commending him as an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin, and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
“When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” according to Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation. “Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses St. Agnes Hospital are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
