Tuesday, May 13, 2025
San Juan Regional Medical Center Nurses Honored with DAISY® Awards
From left: Joe Anderson, Carter Colia, Michael Olive
San Juan Regional Medical Center is proud to honor three of our nurses with DAISY® Awards as we celebrate National Nurses Week. This prestigious international recognition program celebrates nurses for the compassionate care they provide patients every day.
Joe Anderson RN, BSN
Joe Anderson is an Emergency Department nurse who puts patients at ease with his kind, understanding, patient and respectful manner. The patient who nominated him stated that she was tired, in pain, frustrated and angry when she visited the Emergency Department. But Joe immediately made her feel better, taking the time to make her feel like she mattered even though he was very busy. Two weeks later, Joe helped treat the patient’s son-in-law, and again, the experience was exceptional.
“Joe exemplifies what a nurse should be. Seeing him on two different occasions exhibiting the same outstanding qualities simply validated my belief that he is an incredible nurse and deserving of the DAISY award,” the patient said in her nomination.
“It’s great to be recognized, but it really takes lots of people to make it happen. We are all a huge part of a great team and that’s why I choose to work here,” Joe said. “I feel very honored to get this award. I just try to give my patients kindness, compassion and good care. Everyone deserves that.”
Carter Colia, RN
Carter Colia is an Emergency Department nurse who provided care to a fellow nurse’s young son. The child was understandably scared to be in the Emergency Room, but Carter was so nice, explaining the situation and what was going to happen in a way both the parents and the child could understand. When putting in the child’s IV, Carter was able to do it quickly and distract him
“He provided the most thoughtful and compassionate care to not only my son, but to us as his parents. It will forever be remembered and appreciated,” the patient’s mother said in her nomination.
“It’s very cool to be recognized. This is one of many patients we take care of. Every day, everybody shows up and does their best and it’s a great team to be a part of. It’s nice to have this recognition, knowing that you made an impact,” Carter said.
Michael Olive, RN
Michael Olive is a nurse on the Cardiology Unit who shows compassion and empathy to his patients and their families. One patient was airlifted to the hospital quite a distance from his home and taken to Cardiology where Michael was assigned as his nurse. While the family was scared, Michael was comforting and transparent, making it easy for them to understand what was happening.
“Michael always had a smile on his face and was very gentle with his care, which was greatly appreciated. This was an unexpected event, but Michael made it a little easier for us. He treated my father like a family member,” the nomination said.
“What feels the best is receiving this message from the patient’s family,” Michael said. “It was a heartfelt message and that means more than any award. Knowing that I made a difference to them, that’s the best.”
We love celebrating our exceptional nurses and invite our community to nominate a nurse deserving of DAISY® Award recognition here: https://www.sanjuanregional.com/daisy.