What is The DAISY Award?
Nurses every day go above and beyond to not only provide patients and families with excellence in clinical care but also compassion. At The DAISY Foundation, we aim to honor them by showing our profound gratitude for all that they do. The DAISY Award is a recognition program to celebrate and recognize nurses by collecting nominations from patients, families, and co-workers. It is run by our partners as a way to thank nurses for the care and kindness they provide.
How it Works
Who is Eligible for The DAISY Award?
Any licensed, registered nurse, nursing faculty or nursing student is eligible to be nominated for a DAISY Award. DAISY partners with healthcare facilities across the continuum of care - large health systems, clinics, long-term care facilities, surgery centers, critical access/rural hospitals, schools of nursing, and more. Our recognition programs express gratitude to nurses wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve, and throughout their careers - from nursing student through lifetime achievement.
How are Nurses Nominated for The DAISY Award?
Nurses can be nominated by anyone. In the healthcare setting, nominations come from patients, family members, other nurses, physicians, clinicians, or staff - who experience or observe extraordinarily compassionate care being provided by a nurse. In the academic setting, nominations are submitted by students, preceptors, faculty, staff, or alumni. To nominate a nurse in the healthcare setting, click here!
What Happens After Nurses Are Nominated?
The nominations are blinded and sent to an internal committee at the participating organization. The committee reads and scores the nominations using criteria that focus on compassion and fit the mission and values of each organization that partners with us. Honorees are selected throughout the year to provide continuous celebration of extraordinary nurses. Schools of Nursing usually present once or twice a year based on graduation, pinning ceremony, or convocation schedules.
What Does the DAISY Honoree/Recipient Receive?
After the DAISY Honoree has been selected, a celebration is planned. The Honoree’s peers, leadership, nominator, and sometimes friends and family are all invited to attend. At the presentation, the Honoree receives a certificate in a DAISY portfolio, a beautiful hand-carved Healer’s Touch Sculpture from Zimbabwe, an Honoree pin, a congratulations banner to hang in the unit (optional for schools of nursing), a copy of their nomination, a gift bag, and cinnamon rolls to share. After the presentation, the Honoree is added to our website, and the nurse is then eligible for numerous professional development, education, and wellness benefits.
What about the nurses who were nominated, but not selected to receive The DAISY Award?
Every nomination is meaningful recognition of the nurse who receives it from a grateful patient, family member, or co-worker. Receiving a copy of their nomination, nurses understand the impact they have had on the person who wrote the nomination and the difference they have made. They also receive a special DAISY Nominee pin and a note from their leadership.
How do The DAISY Academic Awards Differ?
While the overall DAISY Award Program and the DAISY Academic Award Programs (The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Educators and The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students) are run similarly, the committee, nominators, and celebration locations will be unique to the academic setting.
Impact of DAISY Recognition
Today thousands of facilities and schools of nursing worldwide are committed to honoring nurses with The DAISY Award.
DAISY is an evidence-based form of meaningful recognition. Its success spans more than two decades and has been featured in research studies for effective nurse recognition within healthcare organizations. The strategic impact of these programs on nurses and their organizations is deep and has a positive effect on their job satisfaction, retention rate, teamwork, pride, organizational culture, and work environment.
Three areas of profound impact are:
Nurse Engagement
- Ignites extraordinary compassionate care
- Improves satisfaction and retention
- Promotes well-being and resilience
Healthy Work Environment
- Celebrates all the right
- Reminds nurses why they became nurses
- Builds team spirit
Patient & Family Experience
- Communicates profound gratitude
- Reinforces patient and family-centered care
- Inspires community loyalty
Get Started with DAISY-
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