We are pleased to announce the most recent UAB Medicine DAISY Award, recognizing the extraordinary care and compassion that nurses provide for patients and families every day. Submissions and stories are reviewed each month, and the winner is surprised at a special ceremony. You can submit a DAISY nurse nomination using this online form.
Click here to view more photos from the award presentation.
Congratulations to the most recent winner, Kristen Cone, RN. Below, a patient explains what makes Kristen worthy of a DAISY Award.
Kristen Cone is a registered nurse on the Vascular and Cardiology Unit (VACU) at UAB Hospital.
She is the kind of nurse that you want in your corner as she advocates for patients with such genuine love and compassion. Recently, I was in the hospital and hadn’t walked much initially during my stay. I was having such horrible pain, and the bed is where I felt most comfortable. My care team was helping me with pain management and improving my mobility, but the pain management had become my priority that I was forgetting to also focus on moving.
Kristen advocated so strongly for me, and I felt her compassion when she encouraged me to walk. She truly wanted me to get better – getting up and walking was a way to heal. She also helped facilitate another evaluation by the physical therapy team. A physical therapist was able to help me get up and walk. When I got back to the room, I felt a sense of accomplishment that I hadn’t felt in a while, and I could see on Kristen’s face that she was also very proud of me.
Kristen felt like the best team member you could want on your team. Kristen also shared some of her own experiences with me that were similar to things I had been going through, and that made me feel like she truly understood and could share a lived experience. She was a safe space for me, and I was blessed to be under her care.