CONTRIBUTED BY EAH
OPELIKA — During a surprise ceremony held Friday, May 1, Rose Marie Bryant, a nurse at East Alabama Medical Center, was presented with the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award.
The DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award is a highly prestigious honor given nationally and internationally to nurses who have devoted their life’s work to compassionate care and serving others. Bryant’s story of service began early.
She graduated from high school ahead of schedule and joined the Army at 17, a step that reflected a willingness to work hard and step into responsibility.
After being stationed at Fort Benning and a brief stint in New York, Bryant returned to Columbus to be near family. She soon began looking toward a new calling: nursing.
Unlike many nurses who step into the profession before starting a family, Bryant did it the other way around. She was a non-traditional student and a mother first, raising three children while pushing through the rigors of nursing school.
To help make it all work, Bryant waited tables while attending school. Her dedication did not go unnoticed.
“We had a unique perspective as we watched her evolve into a nurse,” recalled Bryant’s daughters, Theresa and Jen Collins, who are also both nurses at EAMC. “We watched her struggle, persevere and succeed, and that made a lasting impact on all of us.”
After graduating with honors from Columbus State University in 1991, Bryant began making a lasting impact on those needing medical care. Eventually, her path would lead her to EAMC in July 2001.
Always determined to advance and grow, Bryant went on to earn a wound, ostomy and continence certification from Emory University, achieving a long-standing goal.
Today, Bryant helps lead an impressive wound-care program at EAMC, surrounded by a team of nurses who share her high standards. Those who work with her describe someone their team can count on and as someone who is reliable, humble and fully present, even when she would rather stay out of the spotlight.
“She has been an influential role model for her family and other nurses,” one of her daughters recalled. “She loves what she does, and it shows every day.”
As a DAISY Award recipient, Bryant was presented with the award’s signature sculpture. The sculpture she received is called The Healer’s Touch, a symbol of the relationship between caregiver and patient.
It is an apt image for Bryant’s career: hands that dress wounds, but also hands that steady a worried patient or reach out during challenging moments to make sure no one feels alone.
