Crystal has provided nursing care here at NMCSD in the NICU for over 30 yrs. Prior to coming here, Crystal was active duty in the Airforce for 5 years and provided excellent nursing care as a young officer. Being comfortable in the military environment, Crystal came to NMCSD’s NICU as a traveler. She fell in love with San Diego and the unit and never left. During her 30 years here at NMCSD, Crystal has pretty much heard it all, seen it all and done it all! She has worked on numerous projects and committees to improve patient care from admission to discharge. She authored several important forms, including Immunization Consent and documentation, Discharge Teaching, and Micropremie Care, all of which were used for well over a decade with Essentris Documentation. Her contributions to these areas significantly contributed to enhancing patient outcomes and safety within the NICU. Crystal has oriented countless new nurses and corpsmen and is a constant resource for the medical staff, both new and seasoned. Crystal is smart, friendly, outgoing and a fierce advocate for her patients…. And if you touch Crystal’s sleeping sick baby, you better ask first! She is so respected by fellow staff she has received numerous accommodations and even won Nurse of the Year in 2008.

Throughout her career, Crystal has strived to remain current with her neonatal nursing practice. She attended many conferences in the early years and is always offering her input on policies and procedures. She has studied the concepts of Six-Sigma and strives to maintain nursing importance, value, and accountability. She challenges new nurses to remain focused and detail-oriented for our tiny, fragile babies, and, with her humor, support, and professional expectations, throughout her 30+ years, has nurtured many outstanding NICU nurses and corpsmen. Incredibly, despite all she has done, she remains humble and prides herself on being an OUTSTANDING BEDSIDE nurse.

In terms of leadership, Crystal has functioned competently for decades as a relief charge. However, Crystal is a natural-born leader every time she walks through the doors of the NICU. Her knowledge of the history of the unit, her ability to prove herself over and over to changing military and civilian leadership, and above all, despite the unit’s hardship and struggles, her ultimate goal never wavered. That goal is to always provide outstanding care to our military babies and families. Crystal turned 60 this year, and she has plenty of years of service and money to retire. Yet she chooses to keep working because she loves the NICU, is proud of the amazing care we give our babies, and treats fellow staff like family.

In summary, Crystal Janey embodies the criteria for the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award through her modeling of empathy and a caring attitude, demonstration of extraordinary skills in compassionate care, positive attitude, professionalism, alignment with the mission and values of NMCSD, and establishment of deep connections with patients and their families. She is truly deserving of this prestigious recognition for her lifelong dedication to nursing excellence.