Congratulations to our latest DAISY Award Winner, NMC Outpatient Surgery's Amanda Watson
We are so pleased to announce our latest DAISY winner, NMC's Outpatient Surgery's Amanda Watson.
Here's her nomination:
When I first arrived in the holding area, Amanda immediately came over, greeted me, hugged me, and let me cry into her shoulder. She expressed her condolences, but what meant so much to me was that she recognized that hearing “I’m sorry” doesn’t make an incredibly painful situation any easier. She didn’t try to rush me through my emotions or make me feel like I needed to hold myself together. She simply met me where I was and allowed me to feel what I needed to feel.
From that moment on, Amanda cared for me not only as a patient, but as a person who was hurting. She made sure I was physically as comfortable and well taken care of as possible. She brought me warm blankets and offered different comfort measures, always paying attention to what I needed. Every little thing mattered because, in that moment, I needed someone to take care of me when I didn’t have much capacity to take care of myself.
When I woke up, Amanda was the warm smile I saw and the soft voice I heard saying my name and gently helping me wake up. Even in something as simple as waking a patient, she was incredibly gentle and intentional. She answered every question I had with such a soft and compassionate tone, carefully choosing her words and never making me feel like I was asking too many questions or taking up too much of her time.
What made her compassion even more meaningful was learning that Amanda had personally experienced something similar. She did not immediately tell me about her own experience or make my situation about herself. Instead, when I asked her, she shared her experience with me. Knowing that she understood this kind of pain on a personal level made me feel less alone. She knew that there are some things you cannot fix or make better, but she showed me that you can still be present, gentle, and compassionate through them.
Amanda was also incredibly attentive to my needs as a patient. Whenever I had questions for my doctor, she was quick to make sure those questions were communicated and answered. She advocated for me and made sure I understood what was happening. She cared for me so thoroughly from the time she took over my care until she passed me on to the next nurse. Before handing off my care, she made sure that every medication request, comfort measure, and anything else she could do for me had been taken care of.
Amanda demonstrated exactly what compassionate nursing looks like. She could not change what I was going through, but she changed how alone I felt while going through it. Her warmth, gentleness, patience, and genuine compassion brought comfort to me during one of the hardest moments I have experienced. I will remember the way she hugged me, the way she let me cry, the softness in her voice, and the way she cared for me when I needed it most.
Amanda deserves the DAISY Award because she showed me that sometimes the most meaningful nursing care isn’t about having the right words or being able to fix a situation. Sometimes it is simply being willing to sit with someone in their pain, care for them with tenderness, advocate for them, and remind them that they are not alone. Amanda did exactly that for me, and I will forever be grateful that she was my nurse.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is an international program that honors the compassionate care and clinical excellence nurses bring to their patients every day. The program is now in 4,300 health care facilities across 26 countries. Nominate your favorite DCH nurse today! Click here for the nomination form.
