Walipawn Schroeder Earns Avera Queen of Peace DAISY Award
Walipawn Schroeder
Avera Queen of Peace Hospital is pleased to announce that Walipawn Schroeder, RN is the most recent recipient of its quarterly nurse recognition program called the DAISY Award.
The DAISY Program honors and celebrates the skillful and compassionate care nurses provide every day. DAISY is an acronym for “Diseases Attacking the Immune System.” The DAISY Award has grown into a meaningful recognition program embraced by health care organizations around the world, including multiple Avera facilities.
Nurses at any Avera Queen of Peace facilities are eligible to receive the DAISY Award.
“Winning the DAISY Award was a wonderful surprise and means so much to me,” Schroeder said. “I have been a nurse for over 30 years, and caring for others has always meant a lot. It is especially meaningful knowing that a resident’s family member nominated me because of the care I provided to her mother.”
Schroeder has worked at Avera Brady Health and Rehab for 15 years. She is a registered nurse and works as a charge nurse, caring for 22 patients.
“I work closely with our nursing assistants and the rest of the care team to make sure each resident receives the best care possible,” she said. “I truly enjoy caring for the elderly. They have so many life experiences and stories to share, and I feel blessed to be a part of their lives.”
Schroeder stated her goal is to treat every resident the way she would want her own family members treated, with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. She likes to get to know the residents and their families, answer their questions and keep them informed.
She was nominated by a resident’s daughter for her caring and kindness. The daughter said Schroeder always goes above and beyond to make sure her mom has what she needs. “She keeps me informed and explains things so we can understand it. She always takes time to visit with us and when I see her out in the community, we chat like we are good friends. I know my mom is in good hands when I leave her at night and I know my mom trusts her,” stated the daughter.
A committee of Avera employees evaluates the DAISY Award nominations and selects a winner every quarter.
The DAISY Foundation was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at age 33 in 1999 from complications of the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. For more information, visit DaisyFoundation.org.
Anyone who has had a positive nursing care experience can nominate a deserving nurse for a DAISY award by filling out the online form at daisynomination.org/5357.