7 North nurse receives DAISY Award

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s Department of Nursing recently honored 7 North’s John McDonnell, BSN, RN, with a DAISY Award.

McDonnell was nominated by his colleagues, 7 North staff nurses Rob Stetson, Abbey Miller, Amanda Sykes, Nina Nguyen and Kaitlin Barrett. In their nomination letter, the group wrote:

John is one of the new NLNs on our floor. John has been off orientation for a few weeks now but we have really seen him stand out with our patients and the care he provides. John is a great team player on our floor. He is willing to lend a hand with any member of the team. He is very polite, thanking staff members for helping with their part of care. He is compassionate and sensitive and listens to his patients to develop a therapeutic rapport with them. Responding clinicians have found John the next day when he is not their patients’ nurse to compliment him on the accolades they have discussed and how he has “taken care not only of the patient, but the whole family.” On Christmas Day (also John’s birthday), he wrote handmade Christmas cards and gave gift bags of candy and cookies to patients to help spread holiday cheer in the hospital. John stated when talking to a patient, “I feel so lucky to have started my career here, I feel so supported.” But we are the lucky ones to have John here on our team.

McDonnell was presented with his DAISY Award by members of nursing leadership, the Nursing Professional Recognition and Advancement Committee and his supportive co-workers. 

“I feel incredibly honored to be recognized for such an amazing award like the DAISY Award,” he says. “I work alongside so many special individuals on 7 North who engage with their patients just as I did, but whose gestures go unnoticed. They have left footsteps for me to follow in and I continue to look up to all of them every day.”

The DAISY Award, established by the DAISY Foundation, is named in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at the age of 33 from Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an auto-immune disease. The Barnes Family was inspired by the care that Patrick received and established this unique program to recognize and thank the nurses nationwide who make a profound difference in the lives of their patients and families.

To learn more about the DAISY Foundation, click here.

BWFH DAISY nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinarily compassionate care. They are recognized as outstanding role models in our nursing community and make a profound difference in the lives of their patients and their family members. Patients, visitors, nurses, physicians and employees may nominate a deserving nurse by completing a nomination online.