Women & Infants Hospital recently presented Dartmouth resident Amy Bryant, RN, a neonatal intensive care unit nurse, with this month’s DAISY Award. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the above and beyond efforts performed by nurses every day.
In nominating Amy, a patient whose baby was delivered at 29 weeks and spent 78 days in the NICU wrote, “I will never forget Amy’s advice. She said, ‘Look at my face, you become scared when I am scared.’ I thought about that line every time a fear would arise. With Amy there was a comfort – I felt I was being told everything, like I was being listened to, and a part of our baby’s care plan. She was there to hear our concerns, console us and take part in our celebrations. People call the NICU a roller coaster ride and we could not agree more. Amy does it with such grace, without thinking twice. She truly is one of our heroes.”
Amy has been a nurse with Women & Infants since 2006.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and 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.
Said Bonnie Barnes, president and co-founder of the DAISY foundation, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Women & Infants Hospital are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
To nominate an extraordinary nurse who works at any Women & Infants affiliated location or the main hospital, submit an application online or in person. Fellow providers and patients may nominate a nurse for the award.