ANMC nurse Barbara Christensen earns DAISY Award
September 23, 2019
ANMC’s nurses provide culturally appropriate, family-centered care in a unique hospital environment, and they are constantly seeking ways to improve the services and care we provide. In an effort to further recognize our nurses for their outstanding work, ANMC partnered with the DAISY Award, an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day.
Congratulations to DAISY Award honoree, Barbara Christensen, an RN on ANMC’s Critical Care Unit, who was recognized at an impromptu award ceremony where she was presented with a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, a hand-carved stone sculpture and a special beaded badge holder. Many of her colleagues and ANMC leadership attended the ceremony to show their appreciation and support for Christensen, who was surprised and thankful for the recognition.
Christensen has worked as an RN at ANMC since 2016. She was nominated for the DAISY Award by her colleague, Wanda Burdick, RN.
“Winning the Daisy Award has been the highlight of my nursing career,” said Christensen. “I love what I do and to be recognized by my peers for doing a good job means so much to me.”
In her nomination, Burdick wrote: “Barb is an extraordinary role model. She epitomizes how a nurse should care for her patients and fellow staff members. She always checks in to offer assistance during the shift and checks one last time before leaving at the end of the day. Barb demonstrates a caring attitude, works well with a team and serves as a positive role model.”
Christensen loves working at ANMC for a variety of reasons. She said, “Working at ANMC has been a life-changing experience! To be able to care for our Alaska Native patients and their families and learn about their culture is truly rewarding. I have been a nurse for 25 years and I have never worked anywhere where I felt so supported, so much team work, and actually appreciated for what I do every day. I work with the most amazing nurses and human beings I have ever known. I am truly blessed to call ANMC home!”
Patients, their families and fellow ANMC staff can nominate nurses for DAISY Awards. Nomination forms and collection boxes have been placed throughout the ANMC hospital.
Subsequent honorees will be selected quarterly and each DAISY Award honoree will be recognized at a public ceremony in their unit or department. For more information about the DAISY Award program, please visit www.DAISYfoundation.org. For questions about nominating an ANMC nurse, please email Cheryl George at clgeorge@anthc.org or Renee Stephens at rcstephens@anthc.org.