Bayhealth’s Robyn Spendley receives Daisy Award

Robyn Spendley, RN, of Lewes received the Daisy Award for extraordinary nurses in a ceremony held at Bayhealth Milford Memorial in May.

“I was very surprised to receive the award; I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “It was very nice.”

She was nominated for the award based on her reaction during an exceptional event at Milford Memorial. When a water pipe broke, 22 patients needed to be transported to different rooms throughout the hospital, and Spendley was at the forefront of the transportation team moving patients and equipment.

According to the nomination by a fellow nurse, “Through each patient interaction, I was able to observe dignity, respect, compassion and integrity. As our team leader, Robyn led the way with confidence and humor, which put the patients at ease. She cosigned for an insulin administration, assisted a patient with a meal tray, packed up belongings, applied oxygen and held a patient’s hand during our transports. Her ability to jump in to any patient care interaction with the grace and ease of a seasoned professional was heartwarming and reminded me of why I became a nurse.”

A Bayhealth employee for nearly three years, Spendley is an admissions nurse for patients being admitted through the Emergency Department or directly from their physician. She collects patients’ medical histories and documents all information into Bayhealth’s system. In addition, she also helps nurses place IVs, make beds, give baths, discharge patients – she pitches in basically anywhere she is needed.

Before coming to Bayhealth, she was a critical care nurse for 28 years at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, NJ. She received her associate’s degree in nursing from Union County Technical Institute (now Union College) in New Jersey.

Created by the family of Pat Barnes to honor the nurses who cared for him and his family during the last weeks of his life, the award is given by health systems nationwide to recognize the compassion and kindness nurses offer patients every day.

Each Daisy Award winner receives a certificate, a Daisy Award pin and a serpentine stone sculpture hand-carved by Shona artisans in Zimbabwe. The recipient’s unit displays the Daisy banner and enjoys baked goods provided by Bayhealth Food and Nutrition Services.