Nursing alum earns prestigious DAISY Award for excellent patient care

A recent graduate of the University of New England’s nursing degree program has been awarded the prestigious DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for ensuring the safety of her patients as a nurse at Maine Medical Center.

Hanna Freeman, RN, B.S.N. ’23, was bestowed with the renowned prize for her swift and meaningful action in ordering a blood sugar test for a baby whose parents said something “seemed a little off.” The test revealed the baby’s blood sugar was low and that he was in need of treatment. From there, Freeman helped facilitate a care plan for the child and kept the family up to date on their son’s improved health status.

“When I found out I won the DAISY Award, I was shocked to say the least,” said Freeman, who is from Haverhill, Massachusetts. “In my perspective, I was simply doing my job and providing patients with the care I would want if I were in their position. But I am honored to be recognized for my nursing care because all I have ever wanted to do was help people and make a difference and, for this family, I did just that.”

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was created to recognize and honor the compassionate care nurses provide every day to the patients they serve. It is celebrated in over 5,400 health care facilities and nursing schools in 34 countries.

Freeman said it was her comprehensive nursing education at UNE that taught her to “trust her gut” when it comes to patient care and to be an advocate for her patients.

“While being at UNE, I learned that if something seems off, even if it’s small, it could be a part of a larger problem,” she said. “I was also taught to allow my patients to have an active role in their own care. The parents of this infant were concerned, so I listened and advocated to get their child the proper care. I learned this skill through the examples of excellent nursing care that UNE showed me.”

She also praised UNE’s innovative nursing education methods, including hands-on simulation and case studies, in helping shape her critical thinking skills to prioritize patient care as a pediatric nurse at the state’s largest hospital.

“My years in the nursing program at UNE were the most challenging of my life thus far, but I would not be the nurse I am today without being in that program,” she said.