Meaningful Recognition
Jump to section:
Roger Geisecke Awards for Nursing Excellence
The Roger Geisecke Awards for Nursing Excellence are given to the Nurse of the Year and Nurse Leader of the Year.
The Roger K. Giesecke Endowment for Hospital Caregivers in Critical and Acute Care was established in 2008 by Mary Piggott As a tribute to her late husband. The endowment provides awards for UW Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center caregivers. Awards help advance the quality of care for critical and acute care patients by providing resources for the education and training of nurses and caregivers and fund projects that will benefit nurses and their patients.
DAISY Awards
UW Medical Center has recognized excellence in nursing practice in a variety of ways. One of the most visible ways is the implementation of the DAISY Awards. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem, and the awards are supported by the DAISY Foundation. The foundation was formed in November 1999 by the family of Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of complications to Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). Patrick Barnes’ family felt compelled to express their profound gratitude to nurses for the work they do for their patients every day.
We are proud, too, that Patrick’s care was here at UW Medical Center. In November 2019, UW Medical Center celebrated 20 years of the DAISY Award and invited his original nurses to take part. Those nurses are Karen Bidwell, Ann Blake, Andi Bowen, Patti Daraskavich, Susan Polizzi Dowling, Debra Goff, Andrea Hanses, Peggy Haug, Tana Irish, Ken Kanfoush, Karen Kuster, Diane Lynn, Lynn Maleta, Vivian Markle, Juanita Merriweather, Susan Pambianco, Terrie Paine, Peggy Stufflebeam, Debra Thomas, Jocelyne Wahl, and Robert Young.
At UW Medical Center, we are inspired by the vision of the Barnes family and are proud of our DAISY award honorees, knowing that they have exhibited excellence and caring in their nursing practice and are joining a world-wide group of esteemed nurses that began right here.
DAISY Awards are presented each quarter on the units and in the clinics where our nurses serve. Their names and photos are displayed proudly in our Plaza Café and posted to our website. Annually, their names are included in our annual reports, and they are invited to celebrate the centennial anniversaries of the award.
STAR (Super Teacher And Resource) Awards
Preceptors and Charge Nurses Rewarding Excellence in Those Who Create Excellence
A highly skilled, experienced nursing staff is the critical foundation for our ability to provide the best care to our patients. Nurse Preceptors and Charge Nurses create excellence through their commitment to the development of others by guiding and mentoring, educating, facilitating and supporting clinical practice. The STAR Award program is designed to honor and recognize these nurse leaders.
Annually, UW Medical Center staff are asked to nominate Nurse Preceptor or Charge Nurses who demonstrate outstanding practice in all of the following areas:
- Role Model: Demonstrates respectful and courteous behavior to staff, patients and visitors as well as clinical excellence; creates an environment of cooperation and professionalism; promotes confidence, teamwork and positive attitude.
- Teacher: Works with orientees to identify their learning needs and implements effective teaching strategies to promote competency development. Acts as a resource to all staff, assisting with patient care needs.
- Evaluator: Assists in the development of learning and performance goals. Provides regular feedback, communicates in a constructive and supportive manner.
- Facilitator: Welcomes new staff, introduces them to other members of the health care team, and promotes their integration into the organization. Ensures that staff has needed resources. Utilizes effective communication and leadership skills in order to maintain unit in a state of readiness for admissions or emergencies.
- Resource: Provides guidance and information as needed and builds connections between the available resources and departments that are in place to support nursing practice.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Has been a RN for at least 2 years.
- Has been a preceptor or charge for at least 1 year
Awards were presented during National Nurses Week, May 6th-12th.
Great Catch Awards
The Great Catch Award is given to employees who have identified a dangerous condition, prevented a near miss from becoming an incident, or have prevented patient harm that otherwise would have occurred if they had not acted.