BENNINGTON, Vt. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), announces the winners of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. 

 

Patients nominate nurses, and a committee presents one award each month.  

 

"This is an exceptional group of highly skilled and compassionate professionals," said Pamela Duchene, vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer. "The DAISY Award is a really special way for us to communicate our appreciation and our patients' appreciation for their important work."

 

 President and CEO Tom Dee, Duchene, and others visited each recipient on their units and by surprise to present them with the award. Often the nurses' close family members or nominating patients join, as well.

 

Bridget Bromirski, PNP, of Cambridge, N.Y., was nominated for providing support to a new mother who was struggling to breastfeed. She is the clinical supervisor and a pediatric nurse practitioner on the Women's and Children's Unit. She has both an associate's and a bachelor's in nursing from Pace University in New York.  She received her master's in nursing from Russell Sage College and completed post master's study at Stony Brook University, both in New York. She is certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and has been employed at SVMC for 28 years.

 

"It's just so near and dear to me to be recognized for something I love to do," Bromirski said. "I was honored to care for this mom and her son and humbled to receive the  award."

 

 Amanda Millette, RN, of Bennington, has worked in the Emergency Department since July 2020. She received her associate's degree in nursing from Great Bay Community College, and she is working towards a bachelor's in nursing from Granite State College, both in New Hampshire.

 

"When I first started here, I was nervous. I had only been a nurse for a year," Millette said. "Receiving this award really helped increase my confidence. It means a lot that patients are saying I am a good nurse."

 

 Dylan Mulvey, RN, works in the Emergency Department. Not long after starting his job at SVMC, he was nominated by a young woman who had just received a scary diagnosis.

 

 "To me, it's about doing the work but also making the connection," Mulvey said. "I tried to relate and spend as much time as I could. Knowing when to be a listener, that's one of the most important things we do."

 

Mulvey received his bachelor's in nursing as a member of the final Southern Vermont College class in 2019. His mother was an emergency nurse, and he was attracted to the unique and intense cases emergency nurses see. 

 

Michelle Noble, RN-C, of Bennington, has been with SVHC since for nearly 35 years and has worked as a nurse in the Cancer Center for the last 17. She administers chemotherapy, draws blood, provides IV fluids, and helps manage symptoms for cancer patients. Throughout the course of their treatment, Noble often develops close relationships with patients.

 

"Especially during the pandemic, when patients are coming in alone, I am their nurse, their support person, their liaison." Noble said. "...Our patients are like our family. It makes you want to do good for them."

 

Noble is a diploma graduate of St. Vincent's School of Nursing in Worchester, MA, and she is certified in oncology nursing.

 

Amanda Vivori, RN, of Clarksburg, works in the Medical Infusion Center at SVMC. She earned her associates in nursing from Berkshire Community College. She has worked at SVMC since 2012. She likes working for a small patient-centered hospital, because it allows her the time to get to know her patients.

 

"This award was unexpected but very much appreciated," Vivori said. "We become nurses, because we want to help people. And when patients nominate you for helping them, it's so amazing."

 

The DAISY Award is part of a national merit-based recognition program established by the DAISY Foundation. It celebrates nurses' education, training, and skill. Nominations can be submitted by patients, families, physicians, and colleagues. All nominations are blinded, so that they are anonymous before being reviewed by a selection committee. One nurse is then chosen as the DAISY Award winner. DAISY Awards are presented on a regular basis, usually bi-monthly or quarterly.