Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus Cardiovascular Surgical Intensive Care Unit Nurse Emma Coleman, RN, MSN, is the most recent recipient of the esteemed DAISY Award. Nominated by a fellow Bayhealth employee, Coleman was honored for the care she provided to the woman’s father at the end of his life. The DAISY Award is given by the DAISY Foundation, which was formed in 2000 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes. The Barnes family wanted to recognize the nurses who cared for Patrick and all the other “unsung heroes” of the nursing profession.
Coleman was nominated by Bayhealth Neurosurgery’s Donna Dixon, LPN. While Dixon wrote the entire unit was great in caring for her father, Coleman stood out to the family. From really getting to know her father to answering any questions the mother had, Coleman always made the family a priority. In fact, when Dixon’s nephew had to bring his two-year-old daughter to the unit, Coleman kept the girl occupied while hospice spoke with the family. “Normally you would think that after a patient dies, that would be it. But no, Emma contacted my mother a few days later just to see how she was doing. To me, that goes above and beyond,” Dixon wrote. “I know as a nurse she will say, ‘I was just doing my job,’ but for my mom and the rest of the family, Emma stood out from the rest. We will never forget the wonderful care my father received during this most horrible time.”
When looking back at her care for the patient, Coleman said she cared for him as if he was any other patient and formed a close bond with him. This included watching old movies with him and bringing in cookie dough for his wife to try because she had never tasted it before. “I’m driven to bring a smile to my patient’s faces and to brighten their stay. In times of sickness, it’s hard on the patients. I want to make their days better whether it’s helping them to progress on their journey to wellness, or comforting them in their time of need,” Coleman said.
DAISY Award honorees are chosen by nurses, administrators, peers, physicians, volunteers, patients, and family. If you know a Bayhealth nurse who deserves to be nominated, visit Bayhealth.org/Daisy and fill out the nomination form.
