Danielle Martin, RN, CMSRN Honored by CVPH with DAISY Award

Oncology nurse nominated for care of dying patient and family on Christmas Day

Danielle Martin, RN, CMSRN of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Inpatient Oncology Unit (R5) was today honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ®. 

Martin was selected for the honor after a hospital committee reviewed nominations submitted by coworkers, patients and patient families.  Her nomination, offered by a colleague detailed the care and compassion she showed a dying patient and his family on Christmas Day. 

As a unit we witnessed a wife, three daughters and a son lose their husband/dad to cancer (on Christmas Day). First, she (Danielle) was the perfect nurse out of all the staff working that Christmas to be there for this family in this situation. She was diligent in her tasks and thoughtful in her actions. The family stated in a later email they didn’t have to ask for anything. This nurse was already two steps ahead, making sure the family had food to eat and the extra bed in the room was prepared for the wife was just a few of the things. And most importantly that the patient was comfortable.

Hired in 2011 as a staff nurse on R5, Martin has recently been promoted to team leader.  She holds an associate’s degree in nursing from Orange County Community College and is certified in medical surgical nursing. 

“Danielle is such a compassionate, intelligent, and professional nurse and just such a wonderful human being. She is very deserving of this recognition and I am honored to work with her,” said R5 Unit Director Holly Carter.

Chief Nursing Officer Carrie Howard Canning offered, “Danielle demonstrated nursing at its very best in an extraordinarily difficult time. We are so fortune to have nurses like her in our ranks who, every day, commit to providing their patients with compassionate care.” 

During the recognition celebration on R5, Martin was presented with a certificate commending her as an "Extraordinary Nurse" which reads: "In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people."  Honorees also receive 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.

CVPH launched the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in early 2018 as way to recognize and reward licensed nurses for making a meaningful difference in the lives of their patients. Nomination forms and boxes are located at each of the hospital’s main entrances and online at UVMHealth.org/CVPHDaisy. Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues.  A committee reviews nominations and each quarter, awards the honor to a deserving nurse. 

The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. The DAISY Foundation is a national 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 (ITP), 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 this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.