King receives prestigious nursing award

Bothwell Regional Health Center recently presented its latest DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to Patty King.

The DAISY Award is for patients and their families to nominate nurses who give outstanding, compassionate and skillful care. King is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) at Bothwell OB/GYN Associates and is the first clinic-based nurse to receive the award at Bothwell. She was nominated by a patient who experienced a miscarriage and wanted to recognize King for her professional, caring and supportive manner.

“There is nothing that could make a miscarriage a positive experience, but I know that a gruff and uncaring nurse could have made it much worse,” the patient wrote. “Patty was warm and available throughout the entire experience, answering my many questions and phone calls so patiently. She was a true liaison for me between the doctor and the hospital.”

King has been a clinic nurse for 30 years and has spent the last 15 years at Bothwell. She said she knew from a young age that she wanted to be a clinic nurse after being inspired by her childhood nurse.

“As a child, we went to Dr. David Edwards and his nurse Erma always made me feel so cared for,” she said. “That kindness really made an impression on me.”

For King, building relationships with patients is the most rewarding part of her career.

“We get attached to our patients in good times and in hard times,” she said. “I feel blessed to have helped this patient through such a difficult experience. I love what I do, and I’m honored to be recognized.”

Megan Elwood, an RN in Bothwell’s Clinical Education department, presented King with a certificate congratulating her for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” She also received a box of cinnamon rolls, a daisy bouquet, a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa. A DAISY Award banner recognizing her will hang in the clinic and King’s name will appear on the DAISY Foundation website.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was started in 1999 in Glen Ellen, California, by members of the family of Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 of complications from an autoimmune disease. The care his nurses provided was the inspiration for the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award.

An international award, the DAISY is awarded in more than 6,000 health care facilities and schools of nursing around the world, including 39 countries and territories. Bothwell Regional Health Center began recognizing its nurses with the DAISY Award in 2018. Jessica Wheeler, Shari Thomasson, Shasta Nardi, Courtney Rumans, Sarah Plante, Connie Roll, Ronda McMullin, Sarah Fredrickson, Sherri Egbert, Leslie Shapley, Seth Stotts, Stacey Nassar, Helen Fisher, Donna Cline, Linda Lower, Sarah Cordes, Reilly O’Shea, Heather Kaneko, Jenice Serrano, Emma Stone and Mattie Mergen are previous recipients. 

To learn more or to submit a nomination, visit brhc.org/daisy.