Everything’s Coming Up Dasiy

RRoslyn Schmidt started her medical career as a paramedic in the Air Force.

“I joined the Air Force straight out of high school to pay for college. At that point, I knew I wanted to be in healthcare. I just wasn't quite sure what avenue I wanted to take yet. I just knew I needed to be hands-on in helping people in order to feel fulfilled in my soul.”

She became an ER nurse to be “the calm in the storm” for somebody. From there, Roslyn moved into neuro telemetry, where she is able to spend more time with patients than she could in the ER.

Many of her patients have suffered strokes or traumatic brain injuries.

“This was a very sick patient,” Roslyn says, recalling the patient whose family nominated her for the DAISY Award. “I was in his room a lot more just because his level of care was higher,” Roslyn explains. “I don't go into any room thinking, this is my DAISY patient. So, it was a normal kind of interaction. There was almost a transfer to the ICU at one point, but I got to spend some more time with him, and he stayed on our floor for a little bit longer.”

They weren’t sure the patient was going to make it, but he rounded the corner, and she was able to visit with him in rehab. She describes the whole experience as so “full circle.”

About a month later, she found out about the DAISY nomination.

Roslyn says she could tell the family appreciated everything they did for the patient, but the award itself was completely unexpected. She had stayed in touch with the family, but they kept their DAISY Award nomination a secret.

“It was so nice to see a patient that, at one point, we were thinking — are we going to have to start talking about end-of-life care? And then to have them turn around and make that recovery is just incredible,” Roslyn says. “Like there's nothing that matters more to me than that. So, having that experience and then not only that, but the family coming back and writing this beautiful nomination for me, I mean, it was just so, so incredible.”

How The DAISY Foundation & Award Came to Be

Established in 1999 by the Barnes family, the award was designed to honor the memory of J. Patrick Barnes, and the nurses who cared for him during the eight-week hospital stay that preceded his passing. Many people think it’s called the DAISY Award because it was Patrick’s favorite flower, but the story is deeper than that.

Bonnie Barnes is co-founder of The DAISY Foundation. She started the organization in 1999 with her husband, Mark Barnes, and daughter-in-law, Tena Barnes.

“It's now almost 27 years ago since our Patrick died of complications of the autoimmune disease ITP,” Bonnie shared. “He was 33 years old. He and his wife, Tena, had just given us our first grandchild when he woke up one morning with some strange symptoms. He went to the doctor, and they whisked him off to the hospital because he had a very low platelet count. I will spare you the details of what became the very worst eight weeks of our lives.”

DAISY, it turns out, is an acronym that stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.

“My husband and I got to spend all those weeks with Patrick by his bedside. Day and night,” Bonnie said. “And for the first time, we got to see what nurses do every day and night. So, when he died and we started reflecting on our time in the hospital with him, we realized that despite the terrible outcome, our hearts were really filled with gratitude to his nurses.”

The DAISY Award® is now an international program that recognizes nurses in 47 countries and more than 8,200 healthcare organizations and schools of nursing for going above and beyond expectations with extraordinary, compassionate care.

Ripples of Goodwill

What makes The DAISY Award so special is that the recipient nurses can be nominated not just patients, but also patient family members, visitors or any colleagues who take note of an extraordinary nurse. Those nominations are then considered by an internal committee made up of peers, and recipients are selected. It's an award for nurses, by nurses.

Genuine, heartfelt recognition like The DAISY Award creates ripples of goodwill in healthcare settings. It gives patients and families a tangible way to reward quality care – and say thank you. Nurses, not just the nurse being honored, all receive an inspiring reminder of the difference they can make.

“The DAISY Award was created to recognize nurses who go above and beyond, with compassion, clinical excellence and the kind of care that patients and families never forget,” says Liberty Hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer Regenia Stull. “At Liberty Hospital, every DAISY nomination tells a story. The nurse who stayed a little longer. A moment of comfort during uncertainty. A connection that made all the difference. I am inspired by the nurses recognized through this program for their actions and impact on patients' lives.”

A DAISY Award nomination is rarely something nurses see coming. It can stem from a single conversation, a difficult diagnosis, or simply showing up the same way, day after day. At Liberty Hospital, nurses have been honored for all the above.

Every Nurse’s Story is Different

Shelby’s story was nothing like Roslyn’s experience. It ended quite differently.

Shelby Welsh was working in Liberty Hospital’s Birthing Center when she was assigned to a mother whose pregnancy was in distress.

“I was with this patient from the beginning, and for continuity of care, I stayed with her, so I ended up helping with the delivery and then postpartum also,” Shelby shared. “I was with her for a few days. It was one of the hardest few days of my career thus far.”

The patient was experiencing a later-term miscarriage.

“She had to deliver a baby that she didn't get to take home. I sat with her on the bed, and we both cried,” Shelby recalls. “I was in that room all that time and I developed a relationship with her, and we talked about the baby.”

Grateful for Shelby's presence in that moment, the patient nominated her for a DAISY Award. The patient wrote: “During the most heartbreaking experience of my life — the loss of my baby boy who was born still — Nurse Shelby Welsh was a light in the darkest moment.”

Shelby said she was so thankful the patient allowed her to be there for her.

“When I got her DAISY nomination and she wrote all those wonderful things about her experience, it was one of the biggest honors of my life,” Shelby recalled. “I think about that baby every day, and I carry the experience with me, and that memory makes me a better person.”

Eyes on the Patient

For most nurses who are presented with the DAISY Award, the prize was never the point. The patients are what matters. The award reminds them that they touched the lives of patients and their families in a profound way, and that is what they value most.

The DAISY Award is meant to demonstrate that all the hard-won schooling and clinical expertise, the long hours and the emotional investment in patient care do not go unnoticed.

When nurses are selected to receive the DAISY, they each receive:

A celebration featuring cinnamon rolls for the entire care team to honor teamwork across the unit.
The coveted DAISY Award pin to wear on their badge
A congratulatory banner in their department
Registry listing, including a photo and their DAISY nomination story, on the DAISY Foundation website for the entirety of their career
A certificate recognizing their extraordinary compassion and skill
A hand-carved stone sculpture from Zimbabwe called A Healer's Touch, representing the bond between nurses and their patients
A special gift bag
Discounts on nursing certifications and professional memberships
Wellness benefits
And more

From nursing students to lifetime achievement nominations, the DAISY Award touches the entire continuum of care in nursing. Any licensed, registered nurse, nursing faculty or nursing student is eligible to be nominated for a DAISY Award. DAISY partners with a range of healthcare facilities, including:

Large health systems
Clinics
Long-term care facilities
Surgery centers
Critical access/rural hospitals
Schools of nursing
And others

The DAISY Award holds a special place of prominence at Liberty Hospital, with a monthly DAISY ceremony honoring a different nurse with the award.

Tell Your Story

Do you have a story about a special nurse who showed extraordinary care, compassion and skill at Liberty Hospital? We want to hear all about it. Nominating a nurse is simple. You just share a story about how that nurse's care left a lasting impression. You can be a patient, family member, visitor or co-worker to nominate any nurse.

To submit your nomination, visit Liberty Hospital’s Daisy Award page or pick up a nomination form at the main lobby desk or nurses’ station on any floor of our hospital. Help us celebrate the nurses who bring the extraordinary into our everyday lives.

Submit a Nomination