Submitted by Capital Medical Center
Capital Medical Center awarded its first-ever DAISY Foundation Award this week to Amber Straub, RN, who was one of nine nominees recognized to receive the international award given for demonstrated excellence and compassion in nursing.
With fellow nominees, Capital leaders and nominators looking on, Straub received the award from Chief Nursing Officer Becky Means, RNC, BSN, MBA.
“All of our nominees are excellent nurses who represent our mission, vision and values,” Means said. “We thank and congratulate them and know they’ll certainly be nominated again. We congratulate Amber on being our first DAISY Award recipient for outstanding compassion and nursing excellence.”
Straub is in her third year as an Intensive Care Unit nurse at Capital Medical Center. ICU Director Nicole Liu, RN, says Straub’s dedication and compassion to the lives she touches is just one of the reasons she’s so deserving of the honor.
“Amber starts her day off with a smile and positive outlook on how her day is going to go,” Liu said. “That positivity not only helps her patients and their families through their serious medical conditions, but the other staff she interacts with, as well.
“Amber’s strength in her ability to adapt and manage critical situations has made her an intricate part of our nursing team. With those skills, she’s pushed herself to expand her nursing knowledge through our ICU training program,” Liu said.
As a DAISY Award recipient, Straub received a certificate, DAISY Award pin, and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled “A Healer’s Touch”.
The Capital DAISY Award selection committee votes “blindly” in being provided copies of completed nomination forms with the names redacted. All nominees are invited to attend the presentation event, but the name of the DAISY Award winner is kept secret until presentation time.
The DAISY Award is given in remembrance of Patrick Barnes, who passed away at age 33 in 1999 from an auto-immune disease. His family wanted him to be remembered and they chose to honor the nurses that took care of their loved one.
The award is made in partnership with the national DAISY Foundation, American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and Capital Medical Center. The award is given to outstanding nurses in more than 3,000 health-care facilities in all 50 states and 18 countries.
A cake and cinnamon rolls were enjoyed at the event conclusion; because cinnamon rolls were Barnes’ favorite during his illness, each award is celebrated with cinnamon rolls – shared among one and all to reflect that nursing requires a team effort.
For additional information on the DAISY Foundation Award, including the form to use to nominate a Capital nurse for the award, visit http://bit.ly/2RruD0v.
