Shelley Bean, a nurse with the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center’s West Plains clinic, has been honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ®. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.
Bean was nominated by a Veteran’s family member who said “Shelley has been an amazing nurse. She has gone above and beyond to make my father feel comfortable…We are so blessed to have Shelley who takes the time to explain things…(she) is always kind and loving. I have just never met a nurse that is so attentive. She is awesome!”
Bean, a registered nurse from Caulfield, said of receiving the award, “It was such an honor; almost overwhelming.” She recalled that nursing has been a lifelong vocation. “When I was young, I knew I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up and I love being a nurse. It’s not a job for me – I treat my patients as if they were a close family member.”
“It brought tears to my eyes when I heard what the daughter said…I am so thankful for being part of VA where I can serve veterans that have served all of us,” Bean added.
The award included a sculpture called The Healer’s Touch. Hand-carved by artists in Zimbabwe, each piece is signed by one of the many Shona artists that The DAISY Foundation supports. “The economy and politics of Zimbabwe have been in turmoil for decades, and the artists are able to support hundreds of people in their families with this work,” according to the DAISY Foundation.
Chandra Miller, Associate Director for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, said, “Shelley exhibits the highest standards of professionalism and compassion and is very deserving of this award. We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. 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. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) 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.
Coincidentally, Shelley Bean’s son also had ITP when he was in high school.
Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues by dropping off a completed form in any of the DAISY boxes around the medical center and its outpatient clinics. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the Honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. Each Honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.”
Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, 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, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 3,900 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and for nurses participating in medical missions. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org
