ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Stephanie Promish, a student in the RN to BSN program at North Carolina Wesleyan University, was honored this week with The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nursing Students (The DAISY Award). Ms. Promish, who works as a Registered Nurse at Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro, received a surprise visit at the hospital from program faculty on Monday, May 10. She is the first recipient at NC Wesleyan since the inception of the College’s new partnership with The DAISY Foundation.

This award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to express gratitude to nurses with programs that recognize them for the extraordinary, compassionate and skillful care they provide patients and families. The DAISY Foundation expanded its flagship brand The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to Academic Institutions in order to recognize the faculty who inspire compassionate care in their students and the students who demonstrate it during their education.

The award recognizes nursing students who exemplify three elements: Caring, Advocating and Leading.

• Caring: Demonstrating extraordinary compassionate care of patients and their families.
• Advocating: Going above and beyond and serving as a voice for the patient’s needs or wants.
• Leading: Being an extraordinary team member, demonstrating professionalism and outstanding clinical skills. Working with peers to improve the nursing profession and patient care.

“On behalf of NC Wesleyan’s partnership with The DAISY Foundation, we are proud to honor Ms. Stephanie Promish with the distinguished DAISY Award for an Extraordinary Nursing Student. Stephanie exudes compassionate care in her nursing studies and advocates for those whom she serves in her profession and community,” stated Dr. Brittany Bass, Director of Wesleyan’s RN to BSN Program. “Stephanie is the epitome of what a nurse leader stands for, demonstrating professionalism and outstanding clinical skills. We look forward to the impact she will make on the nursing profession and improving the health outcomes of those she serves in her community.”

Nursing students are nominated by faculty, colleagues, peers, patients, families or alumni. Recipients are chosen by a committee of the College to receive The DAISY Award. Each honoree receives a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and “A Healer’s Touch” sculpture symbolizing excellence and a love for nursing that is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. 

“The RN to BSN program at NC Wesleyan University has been rewarding, both academically, as well as professionally. The faculty have been so helpful and supportive throughout this whole experience. It’s obvious they want nothing but success for the students in the RN to BSN program,” stated Promish. “I’m humbled to receive an award that is widely recognized and respected. I hope to continue making a difference in the lives of others as I continue to grow and learn not only as a nurse, but as an individual as well.”

About The DAISY Foundation
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 the creation of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, an evidenced-based means of providing nurse recognition and thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. In addition to The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty and The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Students, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 3,600 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing, and through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects. More information is available at DAISYfoundation.org.