Alumnus honored by hospital peers

09/19/2014 3:39 PM

Hilary (Swartz) Thomas ’07, an emergency department nurse at KSB Hospital in Dixon, Illinois, received a surprise honor from her peers during 2014 National Nurses Week activities at the hospital. Thomas received KSB’s third peer-nominated DAISY Award, an honor given to one of the hospital’s nursing staff.

The award, founded by California-based DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation, recognizes nurses across the U.S. for exemplary care.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for a career you truly have a passion for,” Thomas said. “It shows people are watching and they appreciate what you do.”

Thomas, a nursing alumnus, was one of 13 KSB staff nominated for the award. She was the third recipient of the biannual honor.

The KSB employee was commended for an “innate compassion for people” that inspired her co-workers. That concern for others was a trait Thomas saw Bradley faculty model on a daily basis as an undergraduate.

“I felt blessed to have such wonderful professors,” she said. “They were the poster children for how nurses should be. They lived what they taught.”

In addition, Bradley’s academic rigor eased the transition to the workforce.

“I went right into emergency nursing and had to adapt to the learning curve quickly,” she said. “When I graduated, I was already at an advantage because Bradley did a superior job educating me.”

The family of Patrick Barnes, who died that year from an autoimmune disease, established the DAISY Award in 1999. The foundation recognizes exemplary nurses, nursing faculty and nursing students. It also provides grants for research.