August 2026 Honoree
Shana Bennefeld
I am honored to nominate Shana Bennefeld for the Student DAISY Award. Shana has worked as a CNA in Cardiac Care since the summer of 2024, and she has quickly proven herself to be one of the hardest-working and most productive CNAs I have ever worked with. She never turned down a task I delegated to her and was constantly on her feet answering call lights. I never had to worry about how the shift would go if she were my CNA because I knew the shift would go perfectly fine.
I was very pleased to learn that Shana started nursing school in January 2025, and even happier to learn she was paired with me for her summer internship. Seeing Shana switch her focus from CNA work to RN work has been nothing but rewarding. She continues to provide stellar CNA care while being fully engaged in RN tasks; I never have to tell her to do something because she is already up and doing it. She is very interested in everything we do and is always willing to learn something new. She was even willing to sit back in the telemetry office with me when I got floated to learn some rhythms and work on her rhythm interpretation. She has an exceptional bedside manner and is always making our patients smile. Her critical thinking has amazed me; she already has such depth of knowledge about the nursing world and can understand the 'why' behind certain interventions we do.
I have taught Shana many things throughout our five weeks together so far, but I feel like she has taught me a few things as well. She showed me how much a positive attitude can impact patients, and she reminded me to slow down and connect with them, even on the busiest days. Earlier this year, I felt myself getting a little burned out from bedside nursing and precepting, but Shana has reignited my appreciation for mentoring the next generation of nurses. I know she will excel at whatever she chooses to do with her nursing career, and that whatever organization/floor she chooses to work on will be lucky to have her. Thank you for considering Shana for the Student DAISY Award.
I was very pleased to learn that Shana started nursing school in January 2025, and even happier to learn she was paired with me for her summer internship. Seeing Shana switch her focus from CNA work to RN work has been nothing but rewarding. She continues to provide stellar CNA care while being fully engaged in RN tasks; I never have to tell her to do something because she is already up and doing it. She is very interested in everything we do and is always willing to learn something new. She was even willing to sit back in the telemetry office with me when I got floated to learn some rhythms and work on her rhythm interpretation. She has an exceptional bedside manner and is always making our patients smile. Her critical thinking has amazed me; she already has such depth of knowledge about the nursing world and can understand the 'why' behind certain interventions we do.
I have taught Shana many things throughout our five weeks together so far, but I feel like she has taught me a few things as well. She showed me how much a positive attitude can impact patients, and she reminded me to slow down and connect with them, even on the busiest days. Earlier this year, I felt myself getting a little burned out from bedside nursing and precepting, but Shana has reignited my appreciation for mentoring the next generation of nurses. I know she will excel at whatever she chooses to do with her nursing career, and that whatever organization/floor she chooses to work on will be lucky to have her. Thank you for considering Shana for the Student DAISY Award.
Thank you, Shana, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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