Nursing students at Fox Valley Technical College will soon be honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students. The award is part of The DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize nurses for the extraordinary, compassionate and skillful care they provide patients and families. The Foundation has since expanded the award to recognize students who demonstrate compassion and care during their education.

 FVTC nursing students may be nominated by patients, nursing staff members, peer nursing students or instructors. One award recipient will be chosen each semester by a committee at Fox Valley Technical College to receive The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students. Each Honoree receives a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

“FVTC’s Nursing department is thrilled to be partnering with The DAISY Foundation to recognize and celebrate our incredible nursing students,” said Jennifer Zernzach, Nursing instructor and DAISY coordinator. “We know nursing school is very challenging and it is even more difficult during a pandemic. Instead of focusing on their grades or nursing tasks, we want to bring attention to those students who are making meaningful connections to make a positive influence in someone else’s life.”

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, 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.     

Do you know an extraordinary Nursing student who deserves a DAISY award? Nominations are due by April 15, 2022.