Shannon Nurse Brittany Manuel receives DAISY Nurse Leader Award during National Nurses Week
Manuel was one of three Shannon nurses to receive a DAISY award.
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San Angelo - Every year, National Nurses Week is observed from May 6th to May 12th.
To commemorate the week, Shannon recognizes leaders in the nursing department with DAISY Awards.
The DAISY Award came to fruition from Mike and Bonnie Barnes, who witnessed the best of nursing when their son spent weeks in the hospital before he passed away in 1999. After his death, the Barnes family wanted to honor those nurses who helped their son, so they created the DAISY Foundation. Today, twenty years later, over 5,400 healthcare facilities nationwide, including Shannon, honor their best nurses with DAISY Awards.
This year, Brittany Manuel received the DAISY Nurse Leader Award for Shannon. Manuel, a Kermit native, who has worked at Shannon since graduating from Angelo State in 2013, was honored when she found out she received the recognition.
To me, I was honored to receive this award, but I did not come to work to get this award.
Becky Fuentes, Chief Nursing Officer for Shannon, said that Manuel's leadership has made her a role model and a mentor to everyone on her team. Fuentes also noted that Manuel's ability to collaborate, not only with her unit but with others, played a part in her receiving this award, saying that Manuel is seen as a leader by other leaders.
When asked about being a nurse for the last three years, Manuel said that it has been unprecedented but noted that the entire Shannon staff showed resiliency and figured it out for the betterment of the community.
Manuel also praised the working environment at Shannon, saying that the environment was team-oriented and collaborative.
Her advice to those who might want to follow in her footsteps?
"Believe in yourself, and be confident."
Two others honored
In addition to Brittany Manuel, two other nurses received DAISY Awards. Kelli Hill, Director of Infection Control and Employee Health, also received a Nurse Leader Award, while Irene Walter received a Lifetime Achievement Daisy Award.
