Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s Kim Raines surprised with DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses
After weeks of careful planning, Beaufort Memorial Hospital administrators were set to surprise cardiopulmonary rehab nurse Kim Raines last Thursday morning with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.
But all their arrangements had to be scrapped when the guest of honor did something, well, extraordinary.
She put in for a personal day off to take a former patient to the Medical University of South Carolina for treatment of a large melanoma on his leg.
“They started making excuses why I couldn’t have the day off,” recalled Raines, who works at the LifeFit Wellness Center. “But I kept pushing. I told them the patient was 85 years old and too weak to drive himself to Charleston.”
It’s that kind of compassion that prompted a co-worker to nominate Raines for the prestigious DAISY Award, a national tribute reserved for RNs who go the extra mile to care for patients and their families.
With some last-minute scrambling, her supervisors were able to rearrange the award ceremony for the following day. Only it turned out it was her day off.
Undeterred, they concocted a meeting Raines would have to attend. When she walked into the LifeFit Wellness Center, she found the meeting room decorated with balloons and her co-workers and family gathered for a celebration.
“I was totally shocked when they gave me with the award,” said Raines, who works with patients recovering from heart attacks. “It was amazing!”
The 25-year nursing veteran was presented with the DAISY Award trophy — a hand-carved sculpture titled “A Healer’s Touch” — along with an engraved vase full of daisies.
Graham Jones, a clinical exercise physiologist at LifeFit Wellness Center, nominated Raines for the award, citing her unflagging dedication to her job.
“She has spent many weekends and afternoons off the clock meeting with current and past patients, helping them with the physical, emotional and financial stresses that come with having a heart attack,” he said. “So many of her patients continue to work out at the Wellness Center just to keep Kim in their lives.”
Anyone can nominate a BMH nurse for the DAISY Award. Applications are available throughout the hospital.
“I’ve always had an open door for my patients to come in and talk,” Raines said. “I just feel it’s part of my job.”
