Ashley K Sparn

As Dean, I get to hear many stories from our students' clinical rotations, but some stick with me more than others. Ashley Sparn is one of those students. I began hearing about her early on from faculty, clinical instructors, and the nurses she worked alongside on the floor. They all mentioned the same thing, in their own way: that she had a way of being with patients that you can't really teach. She knew the material, she could do the work, but what people kept bringing up wasn't her technical skill. It was how she made people feel.

One instructor mentioned that Ashley would sit with a patient who was scared or in pain, not because the chart required it, but because the moment called for it. She didn't rush. She didn't perform concern; she just had it, and patients picked up on that.

The evaluations from her rotations backed this up again and again. Her attention to detail was noted as well as her steadiness under pressure, but what came up just as often was simpler than that: people said they felt cared for. Some said her presence got them through a hard day. That's not something you can fake your way through a clinical rotation with.

We spend a lot of time at CNI College trying to train students into good nurses. Every once in a while, though, a student arrives already understanding something most people spend years learning: that nursing is, at its core, about showing up for people. Ashley is one of those students.

We are proud to put her name forward for the DAISY Award. It's not just recognition of her clinical work; it's recognition of who she is. She's reminded all of us about what this profession is supposed to look like at its best. We are genuinely looking forward to seeing where Ashley's career takes her and wish that she continues to achieve great things throughout her career.