The Ivy Tech DAISY Steering Committee recently named Kyleigh Fehlinger, a student in the Ivy Tech Evansville Barbara J. Hilton RN School of Nursing, as the first Ivy Tech recipient of the DAISY Award for extraordinary nursing students. Kyleigh was chosen among ten other Ivy Tech Nursing students across the statewide system.
The annual award is designed to recognize a nominated nursing student who has:
- A commitment to compassionate care
- Make connections with clients, families, and peers by building trust and respect
- Advocate strongly for clients and families
- Demonstrate initiative and a positive attitude
Fehlinger balances her full-time job as a patient care technician at a local hospital in its intensive care unit with her coursework at Ivy Tech as a third semester ASN student. She serves as a leader among her peers, and is an active member of the Student Advisory Board; attending all faculty meetings and providing thoughtful suggestions and feedback to faculty. She is also active with the Southwestern Association of Nursing Students as well as Evansville’s Nursing Students Advancing as Individuals and Determined to Succeed (NSAIDS) group.
Fehlinger has served as a peer tutor helping others learn how to do dosage calculations, care planning, and pharmacology. Last fall, she and her sister organized a two-week drive “Warm Hands, Happy Heart,†to collect hats and mittens to donate to the Department of Child Services.
According to the DAISY Foundation, the DAISY Award was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes in 1999, in an effort to recognize extraordinary nurses who provide exemplary, compassionate care to their patients. The DAISY Foundation now recognizes student nurses who go above-and-beyond caring for clients and their families.
For more information on the DAISY Foundation, visit https://www.daisyfoundation.org/. To learn more about the Barbara J. Hilton RN School of Nursing at Ivy Tech Evansville, visit https://www.ivytech.edu/nursing/.
