Ivy Tech Indy Nursing Instructor Tasha Cohee named a Top 3 Finalist for DAISY Award

Tasha Cohee, a dedicated nursing faculty member at Ivy Tech Community College’s Indianapolis campus, was recently surprised with multiple nominations for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses—and named a top-three finalist by the selection committee.

“To know my students were so impacted by something they learned or did with me … it’s a great honor," Cohee said. "I was completely surprised. Nursing is raw, and it’s about heart, so knowing I helped shape theirs means everything.”

Cohee is a bariatric progressive care nurse at Ascension St. Vincent Carmel who educates and mentors Ivy Tech Indy nursing students in a clinical setting. As a clinical nurse instructor, she bridges the gap between didactic courses by helping them apply the skills they learned in the classroom in a hospital setting. 

Every morning, Cohee’s supervisor does a morning huddle, in which she will let the group know if there were any DAISY nominations. 

“I always make my students attend the morning huddle because they need to get in that practice,” Cohee said. 

So, it was just like any other day. Except, at this particular huddle, it was Cohee receiving a DAISY nomination and the news that she was a top-three finalist for the award.

“[My supervisor] handed me all these papers. I’m like, ‘What are these?’ And she was like, ‘Oh, you need to read them. They’re from all your students,’” Cohee recalled. 

The papers? Seven heartfelt nominations from students who just graduated in May. 

Cohee says it was a special moment to have her current clinical students and her colleagues witness such an honor from her former students.

“I'm not usually speechless. And in that moment, all I could think was, ‘wow, did this really just happen?’” Cohee said of the moment she learned of the momentous nomination. “To say that I was heartfelt was an understatement ... because it’s two different worlds. We’re academically with Ivy Tech, and we’re guests at St. Vincent’s. For them to want to share their journey in this capacity – I was just really surprised.”

Cohee’s path to nursing was unconventional. The Sharpsville native enrolled in nursing school at Ivy Tech Kokomo at age 30, after starting a family and working with adults with disabilities. 

She was inspired to go into the field after witnessing the exceptional care her father-in-law received during a heart transplant at St. Vincent. She knew then that she wanted to work specifically for them.

“They gave my son his Pap for 10 extra years,” she said, tears in her eyes. “That kindness made me think, ‘I want to do this for others too.’"

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cohee transitioned to the ICU, an experience that led to burnout and ultimately to a career in teaching. Though she earned a master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner (NP), she realized her passion was in educating future nurses, and she became an adjunct faculty member. After just three terms, she became a full-time faculty member in 2023.

"Nursing found me when I needed it … Then teaching fell in my lap. Even after getting my NP degree, I realized this is where my heart is,” she said.

Cohee loves teaching beyond the textbook. She emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and compassion in her clinical work. She often invites hospital chaplains to discuss coping with loss and preparing students for the realities of the field. 

“Nursing is raw. It’s hard,” she started. “I want students to process their emotions, not just the skills.”

“When a code ends and the patient dies, you’re left alone with your thoughts, replaying everything. If we don’t teach students to handle those emotions and care for themselves, we’ve failed them,” Cohee continued. “Students will encounter things that are triggers for them – maybe a cancer patient, or an abuse case, or an alcoholic, or a hospice patient ... I want to teach them how to manage that. At school, they learn textbook stuff, but in clinicals? That's where we process the hard stuff.”

Cohee’s commitment to her students shines in moments like the time a nervous nursing student confessed he was struggling with central line dressing changes. Without hesitation, she taped a mock central line to her own arm during clinicals. 

“We practiced three or four times until his hands stopped shaking,” she recalled. “What’s a little tape on my arm compared to his confidence?”

The student, who had no prior healthcare experience, thanked her for helping him build his confidence. 

“That’s the heart of nursing,” Cohee said. “It’s not just skills—it’s showing up in ways they’ll remember when they’re alone with a patient.”

Her students’ praise reflects her impact: Many nominations highlighted her integrity, honesty, and ability to connect lessons to real-world care.

“...I could list off over one million reasons why Mrs. Cohee is one of the most deserving nurses to win a DAISY, but here are just a few of those reasons. She has taught me so much about how to treat patients out in the real world. She has taught me how important it is to meet our patients where they are, not where we want them to be. She places so much emphasis on what is going on in our patients' lives, and what roads they have traveled along that have led them to needing our care. Not to place blame on them, but for us to gain perspective on how fast life can change, and how in a split second any one of us can become the patient. She gives 100% unbiased care to all patients, and she has taught my classmates and me how crucial this is to patient care. She reminds us that we are all human, and that everyone deserves unbiased, compassionate care despite their life choices, medical history, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender or how often they come to the hospital...” - Emma Mahoney, ‘25

“Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure of having Mrs. Cohee for clinicals. She has been an exceptional mentor and educator. She has a profound commitment to her students and our growth as future nurses. She takes the time to ensure we understand not only the technical skills but also the importance of empathy in patient care. Mrs. Cohee is a teacher who goes above and beyond to make sure that each clinical we learn something new. I am forever grateful for the time I have had with her!” – Karmen Franklin, ‘25

“Mrs. Cohee has been a huge part of my nursing journey. Through my time in her presence, I have learned so many valuable techniques for my future career. She has provided me with so much advice that I will take with me for the rest of my life!” – Dewayne Trice, ‘25

“I think of Mrs. Cohee as a great role model and a great example of a good nurse. Having her as an instructor has brought up my confidence a lot, and I couldn’t be more ready to be a nurse. She provides really good feedback whenever we make mistakes and doesn’t make us feel less of a nurse.” – Kasope Salau, ‘25

“Mrs. Cohee has played a major role during my experience as a nursing student. I am a better future nurse today because of her. Mrs. Cohee is the kind of nurse that I would love to be one day. She has taught me to think more critically, understand the ‘why,’ and be more confident in my nursing decisions, which I will forever cherish!” - La’Bria Williams, ‘25

“I am so grateful to have gotten Mrs. Cohee for my final clinical before graduation. She has a special way of making her students and patients feel seen and understood. I have learned so much from her that I will carry with me forever.” - MaKenzie Johnson, ‘25

The DAISY Award nominations came as a shock. 

“I had no idea my students were doing this,” Cohee said. “To feel like I impacted them enough that my students took the time to nominate me … it’s an incredible honor.”

Though the overall DAISY Award went to a mother-baby nurse this year, Cohee’s supervisor noted her achievement was rare for a clinical instructor. 

“There are so many wonderful nurses that do tremendous things … Just being in the top three, I’m humbled,” Cohee said.

What stays with students long after clinicals, she says, are those moments when fragmented lessons become clarity. 

“I live for the lightbulb moments when they figure out how point A gets to point C,” she said.

She’ll continue teaching clinicals this fall, driven by those “lightbulb moments” when students connect theory to practice. 

“If they leave my class knowing how to think independently and care deeply, I’ve done my job.”

In the last five years, two Ivy Tech students, Lisa Barger and Kyleigh Fehlinger, and Maureen Wojciechowski, an Evansville faculty member, have won DAISY awards. To learn more about Ivy Tech’s School of Nursing, visit ivytech.edu/nursing.