Nursing Alumnus Witt Trantum Receives DAISY Award

Army nurse applies compassionate, whole-person care to save a life 

Witt Trantum (BSN ’24) was recently awarded the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses after his quick thinking and calm leadership helped save a patient’s life at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The award represents much more than a single heroic moment in the U.S. Army nurses' early career — it’s a tribute to the values of compassion, teamwork and whole-person care that the Inman College of Nursing at Belmont instills in its future health care heroes.  

The DAISY Award is a nationally recognized program that celebrates nurses who demonstrate excellence through clinical skill and especially through compassionate care.  

For Trantum, that care was put to the test when a patient under his watch began to lose consciousness due to a severe internal bleed.  

Making a Life-Saving Call 

Newly cleared for independence in the Army Nursing Corp preceptorship program, Trantum led a swift and coordinated rapid response effort. The patient was stabilized and transferred to the ICU, ultimately receiving more than 30 units of blood and platelets.  

“They say I saved his life,” Trantum said. “But really, we saved his life. I’m just a representative of the whole team that came together, and I'm honored to work alongside such proficient, caring and excellent people.” 

Whole-Person Care: A Journey from Caregiver to Registered Nurse  

A family friend first encouraged the Tennessee native to consider nursing, but his decision to pursue the profession took root in a deeply personal experience — caring for his mother after her double mastectomy while his father was away for work. 

“I loved the experience of looking after her and taking over her responsibilities while she was healing,” he said. 

Caring for his mother involved far more than administering medicine or managing her drains. Supporting her emotional well-being and practical needs became essential parts of the healing process. This experience marked Trantum’s first encounter with whole-person care — an approach he would later study in depth at Belmont. 

“I think it was destiny,” he remarked. “Treating our patients as whole people is a huge part of Belmont nursing. We're looking at all aspects of their health.” 

Trantum also praised Belmont’s clinical instructors for their down-to-earth mentorship and grace-filled guidance.  

“They created an environment where it was okay to ask questions, to not know everything and to learn by doing,” he said, of the clinical instructors. “That really shaped my confidence and leadership.” 

Consistent encouragement from his clinical instructors instilled in him the confidence and courage needed to take initiative when it mattered most. That same sense of readiness and assurance empowered him to call his first-ever rapid response, a decisive action that ultimately helped save a patient’s life. 

Though he holds the DAISY Award, Trantum is quick to credit his ROTC training and Belmont education as the foundation that shaped his path and prepared him for moments of critical care. 

“To some degree, healthcare is a calling for all who work in the profession and that comes along with being a compassionate person,” he said. “In the military we talk about how leading by example is one of the most effective ways to shape somebody and Belmont does that so well. Every single professor poured into me in such a significant way that I wanted to do that for the people in my care too.”