Melissa Furst being Recognized as Dosher Daisy Award Honoree
Melissa Furst Recognized as Dosher Daisy Award Honoree
Release date: March 6, 2026
Melissa Furst, RN, a nurse in the Dosher Memorial Hospital Patient Care Unit, was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. Melissa was nominated by a patient who commended her willingness to go the extra mile to make her hospital stay comfortable, following up on every detail from meals to medication needs. The patient noted that Melissa never made her feel rushed, and even took the time to share stories about grandchildren and travel. “Melissa didn’t make me feel like just a patient in a bed but like a normal person under treatment. She always had a smile,” the nomination stated. “If you can have a pleasant stay in the hospital, she made it so.”
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.
Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, Doctor of Humane Letters (h.c) and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, "When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Dosher are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.” Said Dosher Chief Nursing Officer Jill Ward, RN, MSN, CCRN, “Melissa exemplifies what it is to be a great nurse, skill, professionalism, and compassionate care. Our great nursing team at Dosher offers this highly worthy candidate our heartfelt congratulations on earning this recognition.”
Said Dosher President and CEO Lynda Stanley, “Melissa’s outstanding work reflects Dosher’s mission of providing comprehensive, compassionate, extraordinary care to every patient every day. Melissa is making a difference in the lives of our patients, and we are very grateful to have her on our team.”
Melissa’s nursing career began in 2010 as a cardiac nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she worked for eight years. Since then, Melissa has practiced in several different clinical settings, as a resource/float nurse, as a traveler, and in a critical access hospital in the North Carolina mountains before joining the team at Dosher in 2024. Melissa finds Dosher a wonderful place to work, with a culture of teamwork, compassion, and exceptional care that aligns with her values and the way she wants to be able to care for her patients.
Melissa lives in Carolina Beach, and enjoys traveling, spending time with family, biking, hiking, and recently, learning to fly fish and golf. Said Melissa, “Receiving the Daisy Award has been one of the highlights of my nursing career, and I am incredibly grateful and proud to be the recipient. Thank you for this incredible honor.”
For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, please go to http://DAISYfoundation.org. In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 5,000 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nurses Advancing Health Equity, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing and through the J. Patrick Barnes. Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, Medical Mission Grants and their new Health Equity Grant
programs.
To nominate an extraordinary nurse at Dosher, go to Dosher.org/DAISY.
The DAISY Foundation media contact:
Tena Carraher
(404) 285-9158
tenabarnescarraher@DAISYfoundation.org
Dosher Memorial Hospital media contact:
Ilene Evans
(910) 457-3900
ileneevans@dosher.org