The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died from complications of the auto-immune disease ITP in 1999. During his hospitalization, they deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown to Patrick and his entire family. When he died, they felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses in a very public way. Please say thank you by sharing your story of how a nurse made a difference you will never forget!
 Nominations should tell a specific story or event that made a difference in the life of a patient, family, employee or community.

Individual Nurse Award 

DAISY Nurses are recognized for the extraordinary acts of compassionate and clinical excellence that they demonstrate every day in their work with patients. They model empathy and demonstrate a caring attitude in all situations and they serve as a role model for the nursing profession. They go over and above normal job duties and responsibilities with a focus on the patient and family.

Criteria

• Makes a special connection with the patient and family
• Includes patients and families in the planning of care
• Collaborated with the healthcare team to meet the patient’s needs
• Provides a consistent focus on the patient experience
• Serves as a role model for the nursing profession
• Models empathy and demonstrates a caring attitude in all situations
• Goes over and above normal job duties and responsibilities with a focus on the patient and family
   

Team Award

The DAISY Team Award recognizes that while an idea to achieve better patient and family outcomes may start with one individual, it often takes an entire team to implement successfully. The DAISY Team Award is designed to honor collaboration by two or more people, led by a nurse, who identify and meet patient and/or patient family needs by going above and beyond the traditional role of Nursing.

Criteria

• Teams must be led by a nurse or group of nurses
• Teams must be comprised of 2 or more individuals
• Team members exemplify your organization’s values and embody your mission
• Team members are role models of collaboration and teamwork that make a difference in the lives of patient, families, employees, the community.

Nurse Leader Award

The DAISY Nurse Leader Award gives staff, patients, and families a way to express their gratitude for the compassionate environment Nurse Leaders provide. Nurses are inspired to do their very best by Nurse Leaders who role-model caring behaviors. These leaders provide a setting where compassion is valued, and staff, in turn; treat patients and their families with deep humanity.

 Criteria

• Role model for compassion and exemplary practice 
• Role models behavior perceived as extraordinary
• Creates an environment that fosters care & compassion
• Creates an environment where attributes of trust, compassion, mutual respect, continued professional development and ethical behavior are modeled and supported
• Motivates staff with a shared vision and enthusiasm to achieve better outcomes for themselves and for their patients
• Is a mentor to staff
• Accessible, available and responsive to the needs of others, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving for individuals and with the context of teams
• Promotes and enhances the image of nursing within the organization, the community and the profession  

Advancing Health Equity

The DAISY Award for Nurses Advancing Health Equity was created to honor nurses whose work advances health equity, mitigating health disparities that are caused by social determinants of health. This award recognizes individual nurses or nurse-led teams.  Nurses in any practice setting are eligible for consideration.

Criteria

• Role or work contributes to improving health equity and providing compassionate, quality healthcare
• Ability to address social needs impacting care
• Integration of social care into overall care
• Development or participation in innovative program or initiative targeted to address Social Determiniants of Health and mitigate health care disparities in the areas of access and quality
• Goes above and beyond in caring for patients and families who are disadvantaged demographically, psycho-socially, or economically
• Works with identified marginalized at risk population

Nursing Ethics

The DAISY Award for Nursing Ethics was developed in collaboration with the American Nurses Association’s Center for Ethics and Human Rights to recognize clinical nurses and nurse leaders whose leadership, compassion and clinical practice demonstrate the importance of human values and ethics in nursing.

 Criteria

• Consistently demonstrates professional and ethical standards as defined in the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses
• Prioritizes ethical awareness and ethical decision making to address inequities and uphold ethical norms and values
• Substantially contributes to a healthy and ethical practice environment through positive interactions, compassionate action, and leadership
• With courage, promotes initiatives that advance ethical behavior within nursing and/or healthcare
• Is accountable for professional decisions, actions, and consequences
• Exemplifies respect for the inherent dignity and humanity of self and others by maintaining personal health, wellbeing, and integrity
• Applies evidence (such as research or EBP) to ethical issues to inform decisions, guide priorities, and/or budget allocations
• Protects human welfare and reduces health disparities of those providing and those receiving health care services

 

Nurse Educator 

The DAISY foundation believes that raising the visibility of all nurse educators and highlighting their excellence will aid in their recruitment, retention, and engagement in the education specialties.The DAISY Nurse Educator in a Clinical Setting Award was created to recognize the extraordinary work educators, NPD practitioners, mentors, and preceptors do in improving practice and advancing patient care through teaching, precepting, and mentoring. 

Criteria

• Has empathy and compassion which fosters deep connections and creates a safe and supportive environment.
• Possesses effective communication skills including active listening, and the ability to articulate ideas and present information in a clear and concise manner.
• Serves as a role model and mentor for nursing by leading by example and nurturing leadership qualities that will assist in continued professional development.
• Is adaptable and flexible, embracing change and able to modify teaching methods to meet a diverse range of needs.
• Models a love of learning and is committed to lifelong learning and professional development.
• Establishes clear learning outcomes and provides constructive feedback.
  Builds collaborative working relationships.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award was created to recognize those nurses who have devoted their life's work to the compassionate care of others. Recipients of this award are nominated for their dedication to nursing through active mentoring, role modeling, advocating for their patients and promoting the positive image of nursing. They serve as a beacon of inspiration to those at all stages of their career and in the various and important roles of nursing.

Criteria

• Distinguished career as a nurse in clinical practice, administration, education, and/or research that promote a positive image of professional nursing
• Demonstrates and actively engages in the professional development of self and others in the nursing profession
• Serves as a role model and advocate for nursing practice and the advancement of nursing as a professional
• Advocates for the improvement of patient care and serves as an exemplar for enhancing the patient experience
• Recognized by the broader nursing community as a transformational nursing leader 25+ years of service

(EXAMPLE NOMINATION)

Due to an extended stay, this patient became a part of the team.  Many staff members noticed that the faux leather jacket that the patient was wearing was peeling and shedding all over the floor. You can see the trail at the nursing station.  One day Nominee noticed that the jacket was very worn.  Without mentioning it to anyone on the unit, nominee purchased a brand new winter coat for the patient.  When the patient left the unit for his daily walk, nominee  went into his room and placed the coat on his bed.  When the patient walked back into the room and saw the jacket he was so appreciative.  He could not believe that anyone would do that for him.  He asked which one of us was kind enough to purchase the coat and nominee never said a word.  The patient then said that he would take his old coat down to the bus stop and give it to someone who didn't have a coat.  He stated that he wanted to bless someone just like someone had blessed him.  Thanks Nominee for being an extraordinary nurse.