August 3, 2016 | NLN Member Update: DAISY Foundation

Colleagues, I have sad news to report. We learned this week that the associate degree nursing education pioneer and former member of the NLN Board of Governors, Verle Waters, has died. Verle was there at the beginning. Working for the New York Visiting Nurse Service in 1952, she was invited to join the faculty of Orange County Community College, Middletown, New York, one of the original seven associate degree nursing programs developed by Mildred Montag at Teachers College, Columbia University. Eventually Verle joined the faculty of the Community College of Philadelphia and became principal investigator on the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community College Nursing Home Project. She authored Teaching Gerontology, published by NLN Press in 1991, and was highly influential in the development of the NLN’s ACE.S (Advancing Care Excellence for Seniors) program, demonstrating ways to infuse gerontology into the AD curriculum. As stated in a letter of support for recognition of Verle Waters as an honorary fellow in the NLN Academy of Nursing Education, “The lasting effects of [her] projects are a testament to her leadership and work.” Verle Waters will be missed by the League, by her colleagues, and by generations of nurses. Through ACE.S, her work lives on.

With Verle’s legacy in mind, colleagues, let me tell you about the DAISY Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that supports nursing clinical research and evidence-based practice projects and honors nurses, nurse leaders, and nurse-led teams that go “above and beyond.” The foundation was established by the Barnes family as a legacy to J. Patrick Barnes, who developed the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura and died at the age of 33 after eight weeks of hospitalization. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) His family was not only grateful for the nursing care Patrick received, they were awestruck by the clinical skills of the nurses and the caring ways in which they worked. The family established the DAISY Foundation as a thank you to his nurses and the nurse educators who shaped them.

The DAISY Foundation offers two academic programs. The DAISY in Training Award is designed to remind our students about the art of nursing, that as they learn the technology and tasks of nursing care they must never lose sight of the nurse-patient connection. The DAISY Faculty Award celebrates extraordinary, inspirational teaching and compassionate practices by educators. Faculty recipients now number more than 500 at more than 135 participating schools of nursing.

I know you will want to get involved with this award, which is designed to give life to the mission, vision, and values of your institution. Schools establish criteria for eligibility and determine how the award is to be used and when. Some schools present DAISY Faculty Awards at commencement or during Nurses Week, but they can also be presented at clinical sites and in other settings throughout the academic year. This is an ongoing program, with nominations also being made throughout the year. The foundation will help you plan and implement the program and form a committee. Information about how to get started is available online.

As you know, colleagues, the NLN is all about nurse educators. This includes all types of nurse educators, whether in hospital or community settings or the more traditional academic programs. In particular, we focus most of our programming on professional development in numerous areas, with a special emphasis on strengthening leadership skills. So, deans, chairs, associates, and present and future leaders, please know that the NLN was designed 123 years ago with you in mind. Colleagues, let me remind you once again of the excellent programming on the horizon.

	Applications are open through September 30 for three offerings from the NLN Leadership Institute: LEAD, the Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators, and Executive Leadership in Nursing Education and Practice.
	Registration is limited to 50 participants at our two upcoming workshops on debriefing: August 19, Learning to Use Debriefing with Good Judgment, and October 28, Learning to Use Debriefing for Meaningful Learning. Good debriefing does not just happen, so register today.
	It is time to start work on your school’s letter of intent to pursue designation as an NLN Center of Excellence (COE) program, due October 15. The COE program acknowledges the outstanding innovations, commitment, and sustainability of excellence of schools of nursing and health care organizations that have achieved a level of excellence in specific areas. Details about the application process are online, along with information about our current COEs.
	Registration for “Beyond Boundaries,” this year’s Summit, is ongoing – be sure to register today.

All best wishes,

Next Issue of the NLN Member Update: Wednesday, August 17, 2016. View previous issues of NLN Member Update »