Compassion, Dedication, and Empathy: The Making of an Award-Winning Nurse

Nurses at National Park Medical Center were honored recently with nominations for The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ®. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day, care like Abby Cambron, Daisy nominee, provides every month to a young boy.

A Young Patient and His Trust in a Nurse

Abby was nominated by the mother of a young patient, who comes to NPMC each frequently for an injection. Seeing Abby so often, the little boy grew fond of her and felt safe in her care. One day, she wasn’t there when he arrived, having left for a family emergency. Because she knew he was counting on her, she came in anyway just to give him the injection he needed.

“My son trusts her, and she goes above and beyond every time we come in,” says the patient’s mom.

That’s why Abby Cambron is a Daisy Award nominee.

One Nurse, Several Nominations

Sometimes, a single nurse will receive several nominations, and that was the case with RN Jane Holmes. Jane is a house supervisor and works night shift. Because she’s the house supervisor, she spends her time in her office where she designates beds and rooms for patients.

But she doesn’t hesitate to fill in where needed, especially in the ER, which is open to the public 24-hours-a-day. It was Jane’s willingness to jump in and help on a particularly busy night that drew the commendations of several co-workers. A nurse had called in sick, leaving the department short staffed. So, Jane stepped in.

“She took the role of floor nurse to relieve the ER, and staff morale soared,” said the nurse who nominated her.

Jane also was nominated for the Daisy Award for helping in another department, where she alleviated staffing shortages on another late night.

A Biking Accident and a Charitable Nurse, the Daisy Winner

These were deserving nominations; however, after careful consideration by an NPMC committee that reads all entries, the Daisy Award went to ER nurse Donna Norton.

Donna was taking care of a patient who was hit by a truck while riding a bike. While the patient was injured, he was more concerned about the injuries to his bike. It was his only transportation to work, which was several miles away, but his bike was a total loss. In addition, he was worried his boss didn’t know where he was.It took the ER team a considerable amount of work to locate his boss, and while they were doing that, Donna was out buying the patient a new bicycle. She couldn’t bear the predicament he was in and knew she had to get his transportation back.

So, she did, and when they presented him with his new bike, he cried.

“It’s this act of kindness that truly goes above and beyond for patients,” says Lisa Wallace, Chief Nursing Officer. “Donna is compassionate and caring with a true servant’s heart, and she is more than deserving of this award, as are all of our nominees.”

About the Daisy Foundation

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 DAISY award recipient is chosen by a committee at National Park Medical Center using the “PETALS” criteria:

P-Passion/Compassion

E – Establishing a special connection with patient, family, or co-worker

T – Trust & Teamwork of families, patients, and peers

A – Admirable attributes

L – Learning

S – Selflessness

Awards are presented twice annually at celebrations attended by the Honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. Each Honoree receives a DAISY Award Pin. Awardees also receive a certificate commending her or him as an "Extraordinary Nurse" and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. 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.”

About NPMC

National Park Medical Center (NPMC) has been providing quality healthcare for over 60 years, offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient specialized services and 160+ hospital beds. Located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with provider locations across the city, NPMC is a proud part of the Lifepoint Health family of hospitals.