Compassionate, caring, dedicated, committed, kind – the list goes on and on in an effort to describe nurses. These hardworking men and women oftentimes do not receive the thanks they deserve for the vital role they play in a patient’s experience. CHI St. Luke’s Health Memorial Lufkin recently partnered with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to honor an employee who consistently demonstrates excellence through clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care. The first nurse to receive the DAISY Award at Memorial Lufkin was Jane Newland, RN.
Jane Newland was among 15 nurses that were nominated for the award.
“The DAISY Award is a great way for us to recognize the important work that our nurses do every day,” said Michael Plankers, Chief Nursing Officer for CHI St. Luke’s Health Memorial Lufkin. “I heard a lot about Jane Newland before I ever met her, so when I heard that she was the honoree for this award I was not surprised! She truly exemplifies the meaning of the DAISY Award.”
One of the nominations Newland received described how she treats all of her patients like family. “Patients always remember her by name and they come to the hospital purposefully to see Jane. She treats all of her patients like family. She jokes with them and gives them hugs. Customer service from Jane is always excellent!”
“The committee had a tough time choosing one nurse from the nominations that we received to honor with this award,” said Jana Raines, RN, DAISY Award Committee Chair. “Although all of the nurses nominated were deserving of recognition, we felt that Jane personifies everything that the DAISY Award represents in the nursing field.”
Nominations are received from patients, visitors, other nurses, physicians and hospital staff. The DAISY Award nominee must meet certain criteria that includes exemplifying the following characteristics:
· Reverence: establishes a special connection with patients and families through trust and emotional support
· Integrity: maintains the trust and confidence of all with whom he/she engages
· Compassion: is thoughtful, compassionate and caring in all situations
· Excellence: strives for the highest quality and continuous improvement
· Goes above and beyond to care for the needs of patients and families and takes time to educate and include the patient and family during the care process.
Nomination forms are available throughout the CHI St. Luke’s Health Memorial Lufkin facility and online at www.chistlukeshealthmemorial.org.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. 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. 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.
Recognition is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation in service to the nursing profession. Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, The DAISY Faculty Award to honor inspiring faculty members in schools and colleges of nursing, and The DAISY in Training Award for nursing students. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
