Baptist Memorial Hospital nurses recently earned the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for their compassion and dedication after patients, family members or colleagues nominated them. Keep reading to learn more about how these nurses have gone above and beyond to care for patients and their families.
Baptist Anderson Regional Medical Center
Jerome Adkins, registered nurse in the Intensive Care unit, received the DAISY Award for his compassion and dedication. The patient’s wife who nominated Adkins said he was very attentive to her husband’s needs. “Jerome took his time and was very patient with my husband as he slowly recovered from heart surgery. He was his day nurse for the entire stay, and this made me feel comfortable knowing that he was in good hands.”
Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto
A family member nominated Morgan Gray, registered nurse in the Intensive Care unit, for her compassion and grace. “To others, my mother was already gone, but this nurse recognized her dignity and spoke to her with genuine care and respect. She sat with my mom, who was fully coherent until the end, and brought her comfort in her final moments, ensuring peace during her passing. The way she held my mom and comforted her was nothing short of remarkable,” said the nominator.
Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi
A family member nominated Kelly Jo Ashley, registered nurse on 5 South Intensive Care Step-down unit, for the DAISY Award for her dedication and compassion. Ashley cared for the nominator’s husband during his five lengthy hospital stays. She said, “Baptist is very blessed to have her as a member of their care team. She has proven her nursing abilities over and over. My husband even said, ‘Where do I know her from? She treats me like she knows me.’”
Kelsey Dickerson, who was head nurse on 5 South when she received her nomination but is now serving as Acute Rehab program liaison, received the DAISY Award for her dedication and compassion after a family member nominated her for the expert care she provided to her mother during a critical time. The nominator said, “She should be recognized for her high level of professionalism, her empathy for the patient’s family and her commitment to her job. I felt she treated my mom as if she were her mom and us as family.”
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County
Zack Pulse, head nurse for the Intensive Care unit, earned the DAISY Award for his compassion. Pulse set up his personal iPad to allow the patient who nominated him to watch ballgames that weren’t available on the room’s TV. The patient said, “Zack took a personal interest in making sure my needs were met daily. He was kind, patient and compassionate.”
Mississippi Baptist Medical Center
A family member nominated Caden Buffington, an Intensive Care unit registered nurse, for the DAISY Award for his compassion, skill and professionalism. The nominator, whose mother was in the hospital for two weeks, said, “His presence brought us reassurance and peace during a time filled with uncertainty.”
NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital
A colleague and two patients nominated Austin Cottingham, a Medical-Surgical registered nurse, for the DAISY Award for his compassion and dedication. The colleague who nominated Cottingham said, “As we were doing our clinical rotation on 3 East, Austin was incredibly helpful and patient, and the care he provided his patients was absolutely exceptional.” A patient who nominated him said, “From the moment we met, I did not feel like a patient; he made me feel like I was at home. He not only provided excellent care, but he also made sure I felt heard, respected and safe throughout my experience.”
A patient and a patient’s family member nominated Jonathan Schaufler, registered nurse in the Intensive Care unit, for the DAISY Award for his compassion and dedication. The patient said, “Jonathan saved my life! I call him my angel nurse. This was the best and quietest ICU that I have ever experienced.” Another patient’s family member said, “My mother came in with a heart arrhythmia. Jonathan was her nurse when she came to the ICU. She crashed, and Jonathan hopped up on her bed and started chest compressions. He stayed an extra hour to make sure she was OK and came in days later to check on her, even though she was not his patient.”
Emmalee Whitlow, a Medical-Surgical Obstetrics registered nurse, won the DAISY Award for her compassion. “She didn’t just care for us medically; she took care of our hearts. In the moments when defeat weighed heavy on my shoulders, she breathed hope into me like it was the most natural thing in the world. Emmalee is literally gold, and God put her in our path right when we needed her,” said the patient who nominated Whitlow for the compassion she showed while caring for her and her baby.
