Southern Regional Alum adds name to list of Daisy Award winners at Colquitt Regional Medical Center

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Dana Olvera (photo courtesy of Aaron Musgrove)

Recently, Dana Olvera, RN, became one of a growing number of Southern Regional Technical College nursing graduates to be awarded the prestigious Daisy Award for her exemplary work in the intensive care unit at Colquitt Regional Medical Center. The Daisy Award is unique in that it recognizes and honors nurses who show extraordinary compassion towards their patients. This year, Dana went the extra mile for a patient and her family, so much so that they felt lead to nominate her for the Dairy Award. The patient’s sister told the story of how Dana came in on her day off just to transport the patient out into the Kate Jeter Garden at Colquitt Regional Medical Center. She knew that her patient had not been able to enjoy fresh air and sunshine in weeks, and just wanted to brighten her day. She also put in extra work at home to try to help diagnose a persistent and elusive medical issue, and then continued to follow up and check in on the family even after the patient had been discharged from Colquitt Regional. “Dana has truly been a blessing to our family,” the grateful family member said, in summing up how Dana had come to be a special part of their experience at Colquitt Regional.

For Dana, being able to deliver that kind of care is why she enjoys nursing. “I love helping people. When people go to the hospital, they are usually feeling their worst, having a bad day, get bad news etc... If I can do something to make it just a little easier for them, it makes my day. Helping them forget about whatever they are going through for a little bit means everything to me.” Before becoming a nurse, Dana had worked at Colquitt Regional as a financial counselor and interpreter. In that role, people started noticing how great she was with people, and began encouraging her to consider nursing. It was her own sister that finally convinced her to take a leap of faith and begin attending SRTC. “Out of the blue my sister called me and told me she was registering for school to become an LPN. I told her to register me and I would go with her!” She graduated as an LPN in 2009, but she didn’t stop there. She earned her ASN at SRTC in 2015, and she is currently pursuing her BSN and MSN. Dana is in good company at Colquitt Regional, with over a dozen nurses receiving the award at the Moultrie hospital, several of them having graduated from SRTC. Southern Regional Technical College’s Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program has grown again this year, adding over 40 new ASN students on the Moultrie campus alone for the Fall 2017 semester.

SRTC offers over 148 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get you quickly into your desired career, and 27 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia. SRTC has instructional sites located in Ashburn, Cairo, Camilla, Moultrie, Thomasville, Tifton, and Sylvester for the convenience of our students. The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. For the most up-to-date information on registration, class dates, and program offerings, log on to www.southernregional.edu or call (888) 205 – 3449.


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