On the first day of National Nurses Week, Beaufort Memorial Hospital honored an outstanding nurse with The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses. The award, presented in collaboration with The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) was presented as a surprise at 9 a.m. to Sandra Kachelriess, RN, who works in the Intensive Care Unit.
“I am stunned!’ Sandra exclaimed. “I had no idea this was happening. I’m speechless.”The nomination for Sandra was made by the daughter of a patient, who died while in her care. She was on the phone at her home in Illinois, listening in as Sandra was presented the award.
“Sandra was his primary caregiver, and she administered care to him and to me,” she said. “She bathed him with gentle care, and totally managed an intense event. For days, she provided information to us, made educated decisions, and constantly communicated with us, so we knew what to expect. And, then she managed to care for all of us while he passed away, staying three hours past her shift. – Incredible!”
“The kind of care Sandra showed to this patient and his family is what sets Beaufort Memorial apart from other hospitals,” said Karen Carroll, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer. “She is a shining example of why people should go into the nursing profession.”
Beaufort Memorial is one of three hospitals in South Carolina that recognize their outstanding RNs in this special way. Funding for the award is made possible from the BMH Foundation.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation 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.
Each quarter, a nurse will be selected from a pool of nominations by nurses on BMH’s Shared Governance Committee; the process is a “blind review,” meaning names are not identified. Nominations can be made by completing a DAISY Award nomination form in brochures throughout the hospital, or by downloading it at www.bmhsc.org under Patients & Visitors, and faxing the completed form to the hospital.
At a presentation given in front of the nurse’s colleagues, physicians, patients, and visitors, the honoree will receive a certificate commending her or him for being 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." The honoree is also given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
“We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY Award program,” said Carroll. “Nurses are heroes everyday. The DAISY Award could not be launched at a better time than the start of National Nurses Week. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Award provides a way for us to do that.”
For more information on the DAISY Award, go to www.bmhsc.org.
