Murphy Receives DAISY Award for Exceptional Nurses May 26, 2023 Was it emotion or allergies when Chuck Murphy, RN, swiped at his eyes after being announced as Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital’s DAISY Award winner? Whatever the reason, his smile made it clear that he was pleased and surprised by the award that is given to exceptional nurses, based on patient nominations. Murphy has been a member of the hospital team since March 2016, when he was hired as a hospice nurse. A few months later, he transferred to the hospital’s medical/surgical unit. In June 2022, he was promoted to unit charge nurse. The patient who nominated Murphy wrote: “Chuck is a very delightful charge nurse and we love him very much. There have been many times that he has been my advocate, while always looking out for my needs as a patient at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital. I have been under Chuck’s care many times the last two years. He works very hard and he is very kind and respectful toward others. Chuck has become our friend here while in the hospital. “Chuck can make me and my husband laugh at times, which is a real gift when working at a hospital while dealing with pain and suffering. He is also very kind and full of compassion and a wonderful nurse always. Thank you very much, Chuck and team.” Murphy’s route to becoming a registered nurse was circuitous, he explained. Early in his working life, he was employed in wood veneer mills but didn’t feel secure in the lumber industry. He went to a Portland area college to study medical assisting and phlebotomy, then worked at North Lincoln Hospital as a phlebotomist for six years. “I always wanted to be an RN or nurse practitioner but frankly I never thought I was smart enough to pursue that goal,” Murphy said. “I met my wife who always encouraged and pushed me to go to nursing school. She had more faith in me then I had in myself. So I went to and graduated from Oregon Coast Community College’s nursing school and the rest is history. And, I owe it all to my wife.” Becoming a registered nurse in 2009, Murphy has worked in surgery, home health, medical/surgical inpatient units and at a psychiatric hospital. “For me, during all those different nursing careers, it has been very important for me to show my patients kindness, caring, respect, empathy and sympathy. I try my best to treat patients how I would want to be treated if I were a patient,” he said. Three other nurses were nominated for the hospital’s DAISY award: Michael Reynolds-Bendanillo who works on the medical/surgical unit, Leilani Ibayan who works in the Intensive Care Unit, and Kellie Thomas, who also works in the ICU. As a DAISY Award winner, Murphy received a DAISY pin, award certificate and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled “A Healer’s Touch.” Along with the public recognition, DAISY award winners receive financial discounts for nursing certification training, reduced tuition for continued education, conference scholarship opportunities and are eligible for the national DAISY Award. The DAISY Award was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes to “honor the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve and throughout their careers, from student through a lifetime of achievement.” To learn more, visit daisyfoundation.org. To nominate a Samaritan nurse, go to samhealth.org/DAISY.
