SVMC nurse honored for her impact on patients and families

BENNINGTON, VT—December 19, 2023—A nurse in Southwestern Vermont Medical Center’s (SVMC) Medical-Surgical Unit was honored this month for her positive impact on both her patients and their families.

Victoria Flynn, RN was presented with a DAISY Award, recognizing the “comfort care,” dedication and advocacy on behalf of her patients and their loved ones. The DAISY Award is an international recognition program honoring clinical excellence and outstanding compassionate care provided by nurses. SVMC, a member of Dartmouth Health, selects honorees through patient, family, and co-worker nominations.

“One of the most difficult jobs for a nurse is providing end-of-life care and helping a family who is experiencing that with a loved one,” said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President for Patient Care Services. “Victoria’s compassion and guidance made an indelible impact on the family members that nominated her. It’s a powerful reminder that a nurse’s impact goes far beyond the patient being treated.” 

Flynn joined the SVMC Medical-Surgical Unit in 2014, where she has excelled in patient care over the past decade. She received her BSN from Russell Sage and MSN from UMASS Amherst.

Flynn explained that taking care of patients and being part of their lives is a gift.

“I’m just so grateful for the people I work with and the families and patients I care for,” she said. “I’m also so proud to be among the wonderful nurses who have won this award in the past.”

Photo Caption: Victoria Flynn (second from left) is surprised with her DAISY Award by colleagues, SVMC President and CEO Tom Dee and Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President for Patient Care Services Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN.

About SVMC:

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member hospital of Dartmouth Health, is a comprehensive, preeminent, healthcare system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVMC includes Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the SVHC Foundation, as well as 25 primary and specialty care practices. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. The health system is fortunate to have the support of platinum-level corporate sponsor Mack, a leading supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts based in Arlington, VT.

 Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

SVMC Contact: Kathryn.Czaplinski@svhealthcare.org

About Dartmouth Health:

Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 56 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene and New London, NH, and Windsor, VT; and Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.

DH Contact: news@dartmouth-health.org

About The DAISY Award

The DAISY Award is an international recognition program started in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Pat’s family experienced first-hand the difference his nurses made in his care through clinical excellence and outstanding compassionate care.

The family created The DAISY Award to express gratitude to nurses and to enable other patients, families, and staff to thank and honor their special nurses.

Please visit DAISYFoundation.org to learn more about Pat's story and how The DAISY Award recognizes Extraordinary Nurses.