Photos in order of left to right: Kim Hunter, CNE, presenting the award to Darlene Morlan; Darlene with the DAISY Award banner and bouquet; Darlene with Lane Strathearn, MBBS, PhD, FRACP

As part of the routine rooming process, a child yelled out in pain, as if she had been hurt. Darlene stopped in concern, comforted the child, and spoke with the parent. The parent shared that the child had a diagnosis that made her bones brittle and, in the past, had acquired a broken bone during a routine exam. Darlene carefully modified her care to keep the child safe, communicated the concern with the provider, and the appointment went well. You would think that would be the end of the story, but not for a professional like Darlene who consistently goes above and beyond. 

Darlene wanted to find a way this would never happen again for this family, a way that all UIHC staff members and clinicians would know immediately about the diagnosis and special care needs to keep this child safe. Darlene took it upon herself to act. She reached out to the other nurses on her team, the Developmental Behavior Pediatrician seeing the patient, an Epic Support Specialist, Orthopedic Clinic Nurses, and the Patient Care Advisory Committee to create a plan. 

It was at this point her Nurse Manager became aware of her collaborative actions, and was asked to contact the parent to determine if they would approve of an ‘Safety/Advisory Alert’ message to pop up each time a staff member opened the child’s health record. When the parent heard what Darlene had done to follow-up and put a plan in place to help protect the child, she was overwhelmed with gratitude. She raved about Darlene’s care, concern, and compassion and wanted to make sure Darlene was thanked and recognized for her efforts. Now, with the DAISY award, that request for the parent is fulfilled.

Darlene saw an opportunity to provide an extraordinary service and using every ICARE value, took the time needed to do just that, making an enormous difference for this child and family and the care they will receive here at UIHC for years to come. Thank you, Darlene, and congratulations on your much-deserved award!

Darlene Morlan, LPN, was selected to receive the DAISY Award for the month of May. Kim Hunter, CNE, and her team went to the CDD to present the award to Darlene in person and read her story. This recognition helps nurses like Darlene realize the behaviors they consider ‘routine’ can make a powerful difference in the lives of others.

The Daisy Award is a nationwide program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day. This recognition is a tremendous honor! Darlene’s humble response was typical of any member of our nursing team here at CDD; "I didn’t do anything special; it is the wonderful team I work with."

As a DAISY Award winner, Darlene received:

• Official Certificate
• Bouquet of daisies
• Daisy pin to wear
• Banner that will be displayed all month with Darlene’s name on it
• Cinnamon rolls to share and celebrate with her team
• “Healer’s Touch” handmade stature, signed by the artist
• The video of the ceremony will be available on YouTube
• Her picture will be featured in a display case at the main hospital
• Lifetime status as a DAISY Nurse Honoree
• Her photo and story posted on the DAISY foundation website