Driscoll’s Daisy Nurse of the Year was recently recognized at a lunch event sponsored by Principle Auto.
Allison Miller, a nurse at the 4th Tower of Driscoll Children’s Hospital, was this year’s winner.
She was among 15 nominees who all received Daisy Awards, a national recognition for nurses that go above and beyond in clinical care and compassion.
“I remember the exact patient and event I was nominated for,” Miller said. “Not because of the nomination, but because this particular patient holds a very special place in my heart. He is an oncology patient of ours, and I was his nurse through many admissions, and he was actually one of my first patients to administer chemo to once I got certified.”
As the patient received chemotherapy treatments, nurse Miller would enjoy playing cards with him to pass the time. The patient would eventually nominate her for a Daisy Award for the simple gesture.
“He nominated me for this Daisy award because one particular night he was having a hard time, so I told him I’d play Uno (a game he was particularly good at beating me at) with him on my lunch break,” Miller said. “It was one small thing I could sacrifice in an effort to hopefully make his day just a little better. (He beat me again at UNO by the way)”
For her extraordinary work, Miller was recognized as Driscoll’s Daisy Nurse of the Year, and a sleek BMW for a year was gifted to her. The award was presented at special lunch hosted by Driscoll and Principle Auto at Elizabeth's At The Art Museum.
Miller said she was in shock she was even nominated and feels honored to have been selected for nurse of the year, especially among such amazing nurses she says are equally deserving of the title.
“I still don't feel like I did anything special, I genuinely enjoy getting to know and interact with our patient population and putting a smile on a kid's face is a huge win in my book!” Miller said.
Her fellow nominees include:
Thank you to these shining nurses for being an example of Driscoll.
