UP Health System – Marquette Cardiology Nurse Amanda Atkins, RN, Honored with DAISY Award

UP Health System – Marquette is proud to honor Amanda Atkins, RN, with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®. This award, presented every quarter, is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care provided to patients and families every day.

Amanda works in the Cardiac Unit at UP Health System – Marquette. This team specializes in treating patients with serious heart conditions, including heart attacks, heart failure and other complex cardiovascular issues. Nurses and providers in this unit offer critical care to individuals whose conditions require close monitoring and specialized treatment to support heart health and recovery.

Amanda was nominated by three individuals who had the privilege of being under her care or having a family member cared for by her. Below are the three nominations:

Nomination One-
"My husband was recently a patient in the Cardiac Unit, and the day shift RN Amanda was his nurse. We are nominating her for the Daisy Award for her excellent care and compassion like no other. She was so considerate and came into the room with such care and consideration for everyone in our family. She definitely stood out as a person who was really concerned about your well-being. When my husband was sent down for the catheterization, he was delayed because of emergencies. Before she left for the shift for the night, she came down to the 2nd floor to see if our family needed anything and to wish us well. I thanked her and gave her a huge hug for taking her own time for us. She is a gem. An exceptional RN!"

Nomination Two-
"When I was first transferred to the 4th floor cardiac, my levels of creatinine were extremely high causing me to have delusional thoughts. Amanda was wonderful in helping calm me down and also comforting my wife as this was not my normal behavior. Hugs and comforting words from Amanda helped my wife get through these very scary times. Once my levels started coming down, Amanda was always there for me and had a beautiful smile for me even if I was not one of her patients that day. Upon discharge, we went to do a victory lap in the ICU and the 4th floor. When Amanda saw me standing, she gave me a big hug and a big hug to my wife with tears in her eyes. Amanda truly cares about her patients and her heartwarming care shows. Thank you Amanda 5-star nurse."

Nomination Three-
"Wow, where do I begin? Amanda was the most attentive RN we encountered during our stay. She went out of what we had experienced even in ICU to ensure my wife was taken care of. Amanda was never more than a short few minutes after my wife called for assistance. Amanda is very professional yet very compassionate and made my wife feel like she was the most important patient she had every day! Amanda even went out of her way to "rush" down to find us a phone charger for my cell that had run out of battery power. I called her a battery as she was always on the go!"

UP Health System – Marquette would also like to recognize the entire team of nurses nominated for the DAISY Award this quarter.

• Robert Abbott, RN, Cardiac Unit
• Stephanie Anderson, RN, Infusion
• Lauren Angeli, RN, Family Birthing Center
• Miranda Badour, Cardiac
• Lisa Bonn, RN, Cancer Center
• Jane Brow, RN, Operating Room
• Nikola Carlson, RN, Cardiac
• Patricia Denniston, RN, Cath Lab/Radiology
• Courtney Dewent, RN, Family Birthing Center
• Krista Fuller, RN, Intensive Care Unit
• Makayla Grange, RN, NICU
• Christina Hanson, RN, Cardiac
• Brianna Heath, RN, Family Birthing Center
• Shalyn Hill, RN, Family Birthing Center
• Kaylea Jarvi, RN, Family Birthing Center
• Renee Koski, RN, 7th Floor
• Renee Maki, RN, Rehab
• David Perian, RN, Medical/Surgical
• Sydney Porter, RN, NICU
• Danielle Rybaczuk, RN, Emergency Room
• Michele Seitz, RN, Rahab
• Jennifer Sikora, RN, Medical
• Cori Steede, RN, Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialty Clinic
• Tina St Onge, RN, Cancer Center
• Kat Thomsen, RN, Neuro, Ortho, Peds
• Maddy Toomey, RN, Cardiac Unit
• James VanEck, RN, Psych

The DAISY Foundation is a 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 patients and their families.

Patients, families, and colleagues may nominate nurses. Nominations are reviewed by a committee at UP Health System – Marquette, which then selects the winner. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, friends, and family.  Each honoree receives a certificate commending them that 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.

Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, chief executive officer and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation said, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for their super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work. The kind of work the nurses at UP Health System – Marquette are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award.”

"One of our top priorities is making sure our nurses know how valued and appreciated they are for the incredible, lifesaving care they provide every day," stated Christine Stryker, MBA, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer, UP Health System-Marquette. "The DAISY Award is one way we do that, and we are proud to participate in the program, as we are proud of all our nursing staff."

In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 3,900 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care nurses, nurse-led teams, nurse leaders, nursing faculty, and nursing students, through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and nurses participating in medical missions.

To nominate an extraordinary nurse for the DAISY Award, visit our website. For more information on the DAISY Award, please visit the DAISY Foundation website.