Stephanie Wheeler, LPN, Daisy Award Recipient

“Stephanie was always kind, compassionate, respectful, cheerful and encouraging. While I dealt with a terminal illness, she always put a smile on my face.”

Those are the words of just one patient among many have benefited from the compassionate care of licensed practical nurse Stephanie Wheeler, who works in Bassett’s Walton health center. She is the most recent recipient of the Bassett Healthcare Network Daisy Award for Nursing Excellence.

Another patient said, “Stephanie treats me with respect and compassion…she gets things done in a timely manner, and she coordinated my care so that my specialists and primary care provider were on the same page.”

Other patients wrote about all the paper work and phone calls completed on their behalf to obtain insurance coverage, necessary medical equipment and more. “She took extraordinary measures to comfort me when I was in distress about my medical needs,” wrote one patient.

“It is such an honor to be recognized by the patients we care for,” said Wheeler when she was presented with the Daisy award. “You don’t even think about it; you are just doing what comes naturally as a nurse. That’s why we entered the profession, to care for people who need us.” 

The DAISY Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care that nurses provide every day. The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died at the age of 33 from complications of the auto-immune disease ITP in 1999.

During his hospitalization, Patrick's family deeply appreciated the care and compassion he received. When he died, they felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses everywhere.

Each DAISY Award honoree is recognized at a public ceremony in his or her unit and receives  a certificate, DAISY Award pin, and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled, "A Healer's Touch."

Do you have a nurse who you want to recognize for going above and beyond while providing patient care? Nominate the nurse for the Daisy Award for Nursing Excellence.