Julie Larson, Olympic Medical Cancer Center infusion nursing supervisor, was recently presented with the DAISY Nurse Leader Award.

The honor was created by the DAISY Foundation and recognizes the compassionate leadership provided by nurse leaders, creating an environment of care that makes a difference in the lives of their staff, patients and families.

“I had the pleasure of working with Julie as an infusion nurse when I started at the cancer center,” said Shawn Gould, interim oncology nurse manager. “She always made me feel respected and supported as a nurse, and it is a true honor to present her with the Daisy Award.”

Larson was nominated for the recognition by two separate colleagues, who both commended her for creating and leading an OMCC infusion team that “nurses, patients and families can trust.”

A sampling of comments from the nominations include:

“Julie Larson, Olympic Medical Cancer Center Infusion Supervisor, is the ultimate DAISY Award-winning nurse leader. She has honed over 27 years of experience in oncology and matched it with her gifted supervision, selection and support of our oncology infusion team. She is the perfect combination for the job, carefully choosing her office to be attached to our nurses’ station, so she lives through the day with us, backing us up in tricky clinical decisions, busy scheduling moments, and oncology emergencies – and highlighting moments of joy and cheer that “refill our buckets” of morale together.”

“Perhaps the biggest attribute that makes Julie deserving of a DAISY Nurse Leader Award is her consistent advocation for not only the patients who are cared for but for those she works with. To say that Julie is passionate about staff satisfaction is an understatement. A good leader takes into account the skills of his or her staff and fosters growth and potential. An exceptional leader is confident, diligent, attentive, humble, reliable and above all inspirational. This is Julie.”

Olympic Medical nurses, teams and leaders may be nominated by patients, families and colleagues for this award. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an “Extraordinary Nurse.” A cross-functional committee of healthcare workers reviews the nominations and selects the final nominee.

The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.”

Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin and a meaningful, hand-carved sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.”

Go to olympicmedical.org/thank-a-nurse for more information or to nominate an Olympic Medical Center nurse.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of an auto-immune disease (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this means of thanking nurses for making a difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. Get more information at DAISYfoundation.org.

Photo courtesy of Olympic Medical Center / At center, Julie Larson, Olympic Medical Cancer Center infusion nursing supervisor, receives a DAISY Nurse Leader Award from chief nursing officer Vickie Swanson and interim oncology nurse manager Shawn Gould.