Callie Froebel, RN, received Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC)’s third DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in a surprise standing room-only ceremony June 29. Froebel, a nurse on CVMC’s medical-surgical unit, earned the honor for caring for and comforting a patient who had reached the end of life. Froebel, a nurse for two years, was nominated anonymously. She’s been employed at CVMC for the past year.
“Callie took great care (of the patient) every single time,” her DAISY nominator wrote. “She went above and beyond every single shift. She not only was extremely competent and compassionate … but she connected with (the patient).” Callie “was able to help (the patient),” the nominator continued. “They talked of things other than the illness. I saw (the patient)’s face light up every time Callie walked in. She is a natural and we are lucky to have her.”
Froebel remarked that the rapport she and the patient built seemed mutually beneficial. “I connected with (the patient) on more than a nurse-to-patient relationship,” Froebel said. The patient “taught me so much about nursing – things I didn’t know I had in me. Every day, I looked forward to going to work to see this patient.”
The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award™ is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. It was first awarded at CVMC in February.
The DAISY Foundation and DAISY Award were established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died from complications of the autoimmune disease idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in 1999. During his hospitalization, family members deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown to Barnes, his relatives and friends. When he died, his family felt compelled to thank nurses in a very public way.
Current/former patients, family members and friends are encouraged to nominate nurses who have provided extraordinary care to loved ones at www.cvmc.org/daisy-awards.
About The University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is a six-hospital system serving the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives. The partners are:
- The University of Vermont Medical Center;
- The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group;
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center;
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center;
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital;
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital;
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center.
Our 4,000 health care professionals are driven to provide high-quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to The University of Vermont, each of our hospitals remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.
Photo caption: Callie Froebel, RN, accepts CVMC’s DAISY Award from Chief Nursing Officer Matthew Choate.