DAISY Foundation

Veterans Day provides the opportunity to acknowledge the service of our nurse colleagues who have served or currently serve in the US military. It is a moment to reflect on their leadership and experiences as military nurses.

Nurse managers have played an instrumental and essential role in the successful delivery of patient care for decades. Often described as the "hardest job in healthcare," the importance of the nurse manager role is never more apparent during a crisis such as a national nursing shortage or a global pandemic. However, the nurse manager role and its contributions have gone unrecognized. The DAISY Nurse Leader Award is one way healthcare leaders can elevate and recognize nurse manager's contributions.

The past 18 months has been filled with transitions for healthcare organizations, for nurses, and for the patients and families they care for. As we transition from the real and virtual confines inflicted by the pandemic, the light shines on gratitude for relationships cultivated and the hope they bring.

The recent pandemic has caused many changes in the professional and personal lives of patients, their families, and the nurses who care for them. Something the pandemic could not change is the profound gratitude that patients, families, and others have for the extraordinary compassionate care that nurses have provided.

What does it mean to patients and families to recognize the extraordinary and compassionate care provided by amazing nurses? The triple aim framework of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement includes the patient/family experience as 1 of the 3 targets contributing to better healthcare outcomes. In this column, the perspective of recognizing "their" nurse with The DAISY Award will be shared by a patient's family.

What does it mean to be a "DAISY nurse"? Moral distress and end-of-life issues are difficult in any situation but, within the context of a pediatric setting, can be even more difficult. In this column, a DAISY nurse shares her thoughts on her role, her professional journey to explore moral distress and ethical decision making, and the lessons learned that led to her recognition with The DAISY Award and the joyful celebration.