Rachel Maynard, RN
Last week, Erlanger presented DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nurses to Rachel Maynard, RN and Hope Stegar, RN for their "extraordinary compassion shown to patients and their families."
The DAISY Award is a national award to celebrate nurses who define patient and family-centered care. Ms. Maynard and Ms. Stegar were awarded Erlanger’s June 2021 DAISY Awards for their "compassionate nature and dedication to each and every patient."
Ms. Maynard, a critical care nurse in MSICU, was recognized by a patient and his family for the exemplary care and kindness she showed during his hospital stay.
The family said that if it was not for Ms. Maynard, the patient “would not be here today.” The patient’s portion of the narrative thanked Ms. Maynard for helping him to get back home with his family and “most importantly to see my baby boy.” It goes on to thank her for ensuring he was "taken care of beyond the call of duty" and declares she is his “favorite nurse.”
As a nurse in the Erlanger Baroness Emergency Department, Ms. Stegar was recognized by her patient for her "tireless work to show care and compassion to every patient, no matter the situation." “She always had a kind, soothing voice, even when she was being talked to by an angry patient. I watched her calm them down and resolve the issue.” The nomination goes on to say that Ms. Stegar "always checked on every patient as she walked by, no matter how busy she was, and made sure to say a kind word to everyone." The patient went on to further praise the "great service" provided by Ms. Stegar.
“Extraordinary nurses, like Rachel and Hope, don’t see their actions as anything out of the ordinary for providing compassionate care to their patients,” said Rachel Harris, Erlanger chief nursing executive. “We are excited to utilize this award as an opportunity to recognize these exceptional nurses for the care they provide daily, going above and beyond the call of duty, even if they don’t recognize the impact their small acts of kindness may have on each patient and family.”
The award is a DAISY Foundation program with the purpose of recognizing the "super-human efforts nurses perform every day." Nurses can be nominated by anyone in the healthcare organization, including patients and family members. Both Ms. Maynard and Ms. Stegar were recognized by their patients and a patient’s family.
The DAISY Foundation was created in 1999 after Patrick Barnes passed away from Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. His family wanted a way to honor him and show appreciation for the nurses’ compassion and kindness they extended to the whole family during his eight-week stay in the hospital. Mr. Barnes’ wife, Tena, created the DAISY acronym, which stands for “diseases attacking the immune system.”
Hope Stegar, RN