Dr. Sam Dickinson has always created a safe and welcoming space. His office door is always open, and you can always reach him if you need something, it doesn't matter what it is,  whether it’s clarification on a difficult exam concept or simply a quiet moment to cry and grab a tissue.  He has the biggest ‘dad heart’ you could imagine. You will always see him clapping for every student's individual success, cheering louder than anyone when we reach milestones, and reminding us that our mental health matters just as much as our grades.

He has a gift for turning even the most stressful topics into something human and approachable. One moment he’s in full actor mode (playing the role of a patient, DJ, or nurse on a high-stakes shift), but then, the next moment, he’s sharing a personal story that hits straight to the heart. He has brought me to tears many times in class. He’s vulnerable with us, open about his journey as both a nurse and a patient, and never hesitates to share real lessons learned through compassion, humility, and resilience.

I had the privilege of being on a faculty-led clinical with him in my first semester, and watching him do what he does solidified that I made the right choice in becoming a nurse. He has this way with people; the patients and nurses love him. One patient asked us to pray for her. We all stood around the bed, holding hands in a circle, and Dr. Dickinson prayed for her at her request. It was the most beautiful, thoughtful prayer I had ever heard. This type of patient-centered care is something that I can't wait to provide one day.

Dr. Dickinson fosters a learning environment that feels like family. He even brought BBQ for the class to celebrate our halfway day. You always find him greeting us with a smile and cracking jokes that make everyone laugh. However, when it’s time to be serious, he leads with intention and grounds us in what truly matters: the people we’ll care for and the privilege of being a nurse.

In every way, Dr. Dickinson embodies the spirit of The DAISY Nurse Educator Award. He teaches with heart, humor, and humanity. I am a better person since I met him, and I hope I can be half the nurse and nurse educator as him one day.

***

Dr. Samuel Dickinson is not only a great professor but also someone students can trust, rely on, and strive to be more like. He is understanding, and when we can't remember exactly how to do a procedure or handle a situation in simulations, he is very helpful and nonjudgmental. I also love how he starts all of his classes with a song because music really boosts my attitude.

He's not afraid to share personal stories, which makes him feel more relatable and “human” too. He has encouraged me and helped me to believe that I could pursue a PMHNP, as he has. He believes in his students, treats everyone with sympathy and empathy, and challenges us to think deeper and more creatively.

***

I met Dr. Samuel Dickinson just before he completed his terminal degree. I was a tech and student nurse on the Bone Marrow Transplant unit, and he was working PRN as he completed his coursework. We immediately connected because of our mutual background in professional music before shifting toward healthcare careers. I immediately noted Dr. Dickinson's extremely high intelligence, and I was drawn to his warm nature.

Never condescending, he is inclusive of all people around him, always with a clever joke or an entertaining story. Although I was a student and a tech at the time, there was absolutely no sense that I was in a lesser position than him - he inspired me to excellence without looking down at me at all. Now, as a preceptor for student nurses, I see Dr. Dickinson interact with and engage future nurses, and that same attitude persists.

Dr. Dickinson is clearly of the mindset that instructors should come alongside students, guiding them through encouragement. This mindset results in more successful nursing students, because a student who trusts an instructor can think clearly and learn more effectively. Every student I encounter from the accelerated program states that they adore him, and rightly so. Dr. Dickinson is both passionate and compassionate, qualities that are especially important in a mental health nurse practitioner, where his specialty lies.

Because of his passion, he is an engaging and well-rounded instructor. Because of his compassion, he is uniquely equipped to care for patients with mental health disorders. One could argue that his compassion makes him uniquely equipped to work with nursing students as well, since nursing school is so particularly challenging! In addition to compassion, Dr. Dickinson exemplifies exceptional character. He is a man of integrity, loyalty, patience, and kindness. It is very easy to learn from someone who makes you feel like you matter. That's what Dr. Dickinson is very best at: making everybody feel like a somebody.