Jay Fincher
June 2025
Jay
Fincher
,
RN, BSN, CCRN
Intensive Care Unit
Hilo Benioff Medical Center
Hilo
,
HI
United States
Jay's collaborative spirit creates a safe and inspiring learning environment for students and new nurses.
Jay has devoted over 35 years of compassionate service to the Hilo Benioff Hospital community, and his legacy as a critical care educator continues to profoundly shape the lives of patients, nurses, and students alike.
Jay has guided and completed 17 cohorts through the Critical Care Specialty Program - each one a reflection of his dedication not only to clinical excellence but to cultivating the heart of nursing. His passion for teaching is rooted in a deep sense of care for every person he encounters - whether it be a student stepping into critical care for the first time or a patient facing some of their most vulnerable moments.
In working alongside Jay with our nursing students, I've witnessed the extraordinary way he embodies Caring Science and humanistic values. He teaches with empathy, grace, and reverence for the human experience. One of his guiding principles, that "no one ever dies in pain or alone", is more than a belief - it is a commitment he brings into every interaction. Through his presence, he ensures that patients are treated with dignity and compassion, and that their suffering is never endured in isolation.
Jay's collaborative spirit creates a safe and inspiring learning environment for students and new nurses. He does not simply deliver knowledge - he mentors with kindness, models, resilience, and fosters confidence. He reminds us that critical care is not just about advanced skills and rapid decisions, but about holding space for patients and families during their most fragile times.
Through his leadership, Jay has cultivated generations of critical care nurses who carry forward his legacy of empathy, presence, and human connection. He is not only an educator of the mind but a nurturer of the spirit - both in his students and in the patient, they will go on to serve.
Jay Fincher is a shining example of what it means to lead, teach, and care with intention and heart. For his decades of service, unwavering compassion, and transformative influence on critical care education, he is honored with the DAISY Nurse Leader Award.
Jay has guided and completed 17 cohorts through the Critical Care Specialty Program - each one a reflection of his dedication not only to clinical excellence but to cultivating the heart of nursing. His passion for teaching is rooted in a deep sense of care for every person he encounters - whether it be a student stepping into critical care for the first time or a patient facing some of their most vulnerable moments.
In working alongside Jay with our nursing students, I've witnessed the extraordinary way he embodies Caring Science and humanistic values. He teaches with empathy, grace, and reverence for the human experience. One of his guiding principles, that "no one ever dies in pain or alone", is more than a belief - it is a commitment he brings into every interaction. Through his presence, he ensures that patients are treated with dignity and compassion, and that their suffering is never endured in isolation.
Jay's collaborative spirit creates a safe and inspiring learning environment for students and new nurses. He does not simply deliver knowledge - he mentors with kindness, models, resilience, and fosters confidence. He reminds us that critical care is not just about advanced skills and rapid decisions, but about holding space for patients and families during their most fragile times.
Through his leadership, Jay has cultivated generations of critical care nurses who carry forward his legacy of empathy, presence, and human connection. He is not only an educator of the mind but a nurturer of the spirit - both in his students and in the patient, they will go on to serve.
Jay Fincher is a shining example of what it means to lead, teach, and care with intention and heart. For his decades of service, unwavering compassion, and transformative influence on critical care education, he is honored with the DAISY Nurse Leader Award.