St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital nurse receives DAISY Award
October 3, 2023Shaley Smith, a registered nurse who works in the critical care unit at St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital, has received St. Mary’s most recent systemwide DAISY Award for Nursing Excellence.
Shaley was nominated by a patient’s adult daughter who was grateful for the care she provided not only to the patient, but to the whole family.
“My mother was upset about having to have a procedure,” the family member wrote. “She comforted her and even brought her a warm chocolate chip cookie to make my mom smile. She made my mother’s experience great. She listened to her needs and did her best to explain stuff to us that we didn’t understand. There should be more people like Shaley in this world.
“Shaley, you are definitely in the right line of work. You were truly a blessing to our family,” the nomination concludes.
Shaley’s manager, Brooke Byrum, agrees. “Shaley is one of the kindest people I know. Her bedside manner is exceptional! Her devotion to her patients is evident each day. She has such a spirit about her that you know she will fight and fight hard for her patients. She is everything a nurse should be!”
Shaley lives in Stephens County. When not at work, she enjoys reading, baking cookies, and especially spending time on the water with her father and brother, getting pedi/mani-cures with her mother, and driving in the mountains with her husband.
“We are extremely proud of Shaley and all of our DAISY Award recipients,” said Ann Gomes, St. Mary’s DAISY Award Committee coordinator and director of orthopedics at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens. “This award demonstrates the vital role nurses play not only as care providers at the bedside, but with families and colleagues as well. Congratulations, Shaley!”