On this special episode of WOCTalk, we talk with Bonnie Barnes, co-founder of the DAISY Foundation, about the organization’s history, its range of recognition awards, the evolution of WOCN® Society recognition awards, and the power of meaningful recognition in nursing. Bonnie shares the story of her stepson Patrick, whose hospitalization and the compassionate care he received inspired the creation of The DAISY Foundation™ and The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses. Today, the program is embraced by more than 7,500 healthcare organizations and nursing schools across 44 countries, with over 260,000 nurses honored and millions nominated. DAISY’s recognition programs highlight exceptional patient care, strengthen organizational culture, support nurse engagement, and help combat compassion fatigue. The Foundation also funds nursing research, evidence-based practice projects, and medical mission work, all with the goal of honoring nurses at every stage of their careers and in every care setting.
Episode Resources
The WOCN DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses with a Bright Future is provided by the WOCN Society, a supportive association of the DAISY Foundation, to recognize a new tri-specialty wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) certified nurse within the first five (5) years of WOC practice who is destined to make a significant contribution to WOC nursing as a compassionate clinician, educator, consultant, researcher, administrator, and professional leader. Nominations are being accepted now through January 9, 2026. To learn more visit wocn.org/DAISY.
To learn more about the work of The DAISY Foundation, visit daisyfoundation.org.
Click here to learn more and purchase the 25th Anniversary Edition of the book by DAISY Foundation co-founders, “Shining the Light on All the Right”.
About The DAISY Foundation
In 1999, Bonnie’s stepson Patrick, age 33, developed the auto-immune disease ITP. Bonnie and her husband Mark were at his side when Patrick died after 8 weeks in the hospital. The nursing care they experienced during Pat’s hospitalization compelled them to express their gratitude to nurses everywhere for the clinical skill and especially compassionate care nurses provide every day. This is why The Barnes’s created The DAISY Foundation™ (an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system) and The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses.
Today, The DAISY Award is celebrated in over 7,500 healthcare facilities and nursing schools in 44 countries. Over 260,000 nurses have been honored, having been nominated by their patients, patient families, and colleagues. Each nomination (over 3.5 million to date) tells the story of extraordinary compassion and care provided to a patient. The impact of these stories’ public DAISY Award celebrations on nurses and their organizations is well documented. The DAISY Award provides healthcare leaders the means to highlight all the “right” going on in their organizations, providing great role-modeling opportunities and a way to make tangible the organizations’ mission and values. The program helps drive organizational culture, inspires and motivates extraordinary nursing, nourishes teamwork, enhances nurse engagement, promotes the professional image of nursing, and helps offsets compassion fatigue with compassion satisfaction.
As additional expressions of gratitude to nurses, the Foundation funds grants for nurses doing research and EBP projects and for nurses going on medical missions.
DAISY’s goal is to honor nurses wherever they practice, wherever they are in their careers – across the continuum of care and internationally.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.