Nurse honored as DAISY Award recipient at UF Health Flagler Hospital

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Ashley Way, R.N., has been honored as a UF Health St. Johns DAISY Award recipient. Way was recognized for her clinical expertise and her kindness.

The DAISY Award is an international program that celebrates the extraordinary compassion and skill of nurses. Way, a registered nurse in the Emergency Care Center at UF Health Flagler Hospital, was nominated by a patient who received care that was “above and beyond (Way’s) duties.”

In the nomination letter, the patient wrote that Way had attended to her “medical needs with precision and care but offered genuine empathy, kindness and emotional support.”

Way said she was honored by the recognition.

“The journey through long hours and challenging days away from my family has been filled with both hard work and rewarding moments,” she said. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Way said she hopes J. Patrick Barnes, in whose memory the DAISY Award was created, “is smiling down from heaven. I proudly wear this award in honor of his life and in recognition of the incredible nurses who have guided and taught me so much about nursing.”

Michelle Paulo, R.N., the interim vice president of nursing at UF Health St. Johns, said the award is a tribute to Way’s dedication to her patients as well as her everyday resilience.

“Ashley’s kindness and compassion shine through in her work,” Paulo said. “She has a remarkable ability to make patients feel safe, cared for, and understood.”

As part of the honor, Way received a “Healer’s Touch” stone carving, a DAISY winner’s pin, a gift basket, and a $200 bonus.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation, based in California, was established by J. Mark Barnes and his family in memory of his son J. Patrick Barnes. J. Patrick died in 1999 of complications from an autoimmune disease. The nursing care Patrick and his family received inspired them to thank nurses for the profound difference they make in patients’ lives.