The DAISY Foundation, which has honored the work of nursing professionals for the past 20 years, is launching a new DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award.
The honor will recognize and celebrate nurses who have devoted their life's work to the compassionate care of others. The idea came from Janet Rice, onsite DAISY coordinator at UPMC Hamot, a 423-bed hospital in Erie, Pa.
"Many of DAISY's best ideas have been proposed to us by nurses who run our program at their organizations," Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, president and co-founder of the DAISY Foundation, said in a news release. "Janet's concept fits our mission beautifully. The DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award is a capstone recognition for a truly great nurse's career."
Rice requested using The DAISY Award for a special honor given to "a consummate professional" who has proudly mentored other nurses and provided extraordinary care to patients and their families during 40 years at the bedside. "We hope every organization honoring their nurses with our program will choose a nurse each year to be honored in this special way," Barnes said. "We are proud to honor nurses wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve and throughout their careers."
More about the award
The foundation said DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award honorees will serve as a beacon of inspiration to nurses at all stages of their careers. Nurses can be nominated for the honor by colleagues for a lifelong dedication to compassion in nursing, along with active mentoring, role modeling, patient advocacy and promoting the positive image of nursing. Honorees will receive:
- An award certificate
- A special DAISY lapel pin designed by Washington, D.C., jewelry artist Ann Hand
- A unique Healer's Touch sculpture with a personalized plaque
DAISY first began honoring nurses in 1999 after Bonnie and Mark Barnes' son, Patrick, died at age 33 from an autoimmune disease. While Patrick was hospitalized, the Barnes family was overwhelmed by the care they received from nurses. After their son's death, they launched the foundation as a meaningful way to honor the compassionate care nurses display every day.
