Celebrating Nurses Week: Daisy Award winner asks each day for chance to make a difference

Every day on the way to work as a nurse on 3B at Adena Regional Medical Center, Allison Collins makes good use of her commute.

“I drive an hour and 15 minutes to work,” Allison said. “On my way to work, I always say a prayer asking for me to be able to help my patients the best way I can so that I can make a difference in their lives.”

Last month, Allison received proof those prayers are being heard when she was presented with the prestigious first quarter Daisy Award – the result of a nomination from one of those patients.

“I was very surprised and honored to receive the Daisy Award,” she said. “The managers even helped to move my son’s schedule around – he is a PCA on 3NE – so he could be here with me when I received the award. That really meant a lot to me, and I was also honored that the patient who nominated me was there as well.”

As we celebrate the work of all nurses during this week’s Nurses Week commemoration, Allison’s story serves as a reminder of the important role nurses play in not only meeting the health care needs of their patients, but in treating their basic human needs with dignity and respect.

Within the Daisy Award nomination, Allison’s patient detailed several struggles with extreme fatigue and other issues during a couple days’ preparation for surgery. Allison, the patient stated, was a constant and welcome presence going above and beyond to meet her needs.

“Allison kept checking on me, made sure I had fluids, broth, anything I could get in me,” the patient wrote. “She helped with linens, took my trash out of my room, gave me meds, anything I needed, she was there. God gave me a hand-picked angel that night and I will always remember her and her amazing ability to do the hardest job there is. She will always be in my heart.”

While being selected as the award recipient, Allison offers praise for all of the nurses across Adena Health, who she says are wonderful.

Allison was in her early 30s when she decided to pursue a new career in nursing after helping care for her 89-year-old grandfather at home. She called it the best decision she has ever made.

Her approach to providing the best possible patient experience rests with the understanding that each patient is an important loved one to someone – a critical point that has also been a part of ongoing high-reliability training across the health system. It’s a point that Allison can identify with when considering her own expectations of someone caring for her family and friends.

“For my loved one, I don’t just want OK, I want the best that it can be,” she said. “So I approach my patients as important loved ones who should get the best they can get for their care. I want patients to realize how special they are to us.”

The Daisy Award is recognized internationally as a mark of extraordinary nursing care and has been adopted by health systems around the globe as a way of honoring their nursing caregivers. For her selection, Allison received a special pin for her employee badge, a hand-carved Healer’s Touch sculpture signed by the artist from Zimbabwe, and other gifts. A recognition banner will also be on display in the unit throughout the quarter until the next Daisy Award recipient is selected.

What made the surprise presentation of the award even more special for Allison was the chance to celebrate the honor not just with her own family members, but with her work family as well. She has worked on 3B since starting with Adena in 2015.

“I love my co-workers and our managers, and 3B is a great unit,” she said. “It’s not just a job to me, it’s my second family.”