HFC alumna earns DAISY Award, a nursing "Oscar"
In January 2018, Karen Miller was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses – which she joked was like the Oscar of the nursing profession.
“It’s a beautiful hand-crafted sculpture. It’s my Oscar,” said Miller, of Trenton, with a laugh. “It’s on the mantle above my fireplace.”
Miller is the director of residential services for Oakwood Common: A Beaumont Community, a senior living community in Dearborn. She has been at Oakwood Common for nine years, starting as a nurse manager before being promoted to her current position two years ago.
She admitted it was “quite the shock” to be honored with a DAISY, an award established in 1999 by The Daisy Foundation in California to honor the memory of J. Patrick Barnes and the nurses who cared for him as he battled Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an auto-immune disease that can lead to excessive bruising and bleeding.
“I had no idea – I’m honored and humbled,” said Miller. “I couldn’t do this without the people I work with; they are such outstanding co-workers. It was a group effort. I am honored that the residents of Oakwood Common put pen to paper to say such nice things about me.”
From Scotland to Michigan; family roots at HFC
A native of Scotland, Miller’s family immigrated to Michigan when she was 3. A graduate of Lincoln Park High School, she began her career as a certified nursing assistant (CNA), working in geriatrics at what is now Beaumont Hospital-Trenton. It was there she became inspired to pursue nursing.
“When I became a CNA, I didn’t know what I really wanted to do,” recalled Miller. “The nurses and the people I worked with were great role models and mentors. They encouraged me to go into nursing. The longer they worked with me, they saw something in me that inspired them to push me, to encourage me to go back to school and do this.”
So she enrolled in the nursing program at HFC. In 1995, she graduated with her associate degree in nursing and her RN certification. She passed on the good experiences she had at the College; her son, David Grieve, currently attends HFC and wants to pursue a career in engineering.
“HFC gave me a great education. I appreciate that,” said Miller. “The nursing program really prepared me. When I graduated, I felt very confident.”
A career built on education and hard work
Miller has worked in healthcare settings for 33 years – 23 as a nurse – all in Oakwood Healthcare (now part of Beaumont Health). She now supervises a staff of 60, managing three divisions: residential care, 24-hour care/assisted living, and memory care.
“Our main objective is making sure we provide the best customer service,” said Miller. “Geriatric patients deserve the best care possible. We want them to age in place once they move into their apartment. As their health declines, we provide the necessary care to keep them safe within their home. We have to be patient and sympathetic toward them as they deal with their emotions and feelings because they’ve had to give up their homes. Some of them lived in the same homes for 50-60 years, so giving that up is a big change. When they settle in, they tell me, ‘I should’ve done this a long time ago.’ They often lose their former social networks, which are important. Then they reconnect. It’s like moving into the dorms at college and making new friends. It’s wonderful to see new friendships form, regardless of age.”
Linda Nickerson, the administrator at Oakwood Common, presented Miller with the DAISY in a surprise ceremony where staff members and residents attended.
“Karen’s a fantastic person and very dedicated to her job – she’s an excellent nurse,” said Nickerson. “She came to us with a lot of experience. I can’t begin to tell you how caring and compassionate she is. She absolutely loves her job, the people who live here, and her staff.”
DAISY is a career highlight
According to Miller, winning the DAISY is a highlight in her career.
“This award is an excellent representation of the nursing field as a whole,” she said.
For Miller, the best part of her job is making a difference in a person’s life, which is the reason she became a nurse in the first place.
“When I do my rounds and residents’ faces light up and they recognize me – especially in the memory care facility – and they’re happy to see me, that keeps me going,” said Miller. “How can that not put a smile on my face?”