Oncology nurses are known for their compassion and ability to help patients through some of the most difficult times of their lives. What makes this nominee, Karen Price, BSN, RN, an exceptional oncology nurse is her unrivaled passion for and commitment to her patients and teammates. She embodies the concept of caring for the whole person, from being a clinical expert and providing the highest level of technical care to supporting the patients’ and teammates’ emotional and spiritual well-being. Karen starts each workday with purpose and takes steps to ensure that she presents her best self to her patients and team. Karen uses her own personal faith to center herself and to prepare herself spiritually, mentally, and physically for her day. When she arrives at work, Karen personally prepares and blesses each patient care area. She also helps her team to center and focus. Karen developed and implemented a “Fill Your Bucket” campaign at our Morehead clinic. The goal of this campaign was to help the team metaphorically “fill their buckets” mentally and physically to help them better care for their patients. One bucket is filled with items to nourish the team physically and contains healthy snacks and teas. The other bucket contains items to help care for the team mentally and contains books with quotes and stories the team reads daily during morning huddle. Karen thinks of creative items to place in the buckets. She has used items such as colorful elastic bands for the team to wear during their shift to help them to remember to remain flexible. Once, she filled it with socks for the team to help them remember to put their best foot forward. Karen is always looking for creative ways to help teammates be the best caregivers they can be. Karen is our primary radiopharmaceutical nurse and truly engages in a caring relationship with her patients. Karen spends a lot of time on the phone with patients before they arrive, educating and coordinating care. By the time they walk in, she has formed a bond with them, and they frequently comment on how wonderful she is in the patient experience surveys. Examples include how she makes them “feel at home and not worry about my illness” and “I didn’t know what to expect, but she diffused my anxiety.” Because the infusion is radioactive, patients are unable to have visitors during the infusion process and spend upwards of 6 hours in the department. Karen is purposeful in utilizing the time during the administration process and intervenes regarding the patients’ psychosocial and spiritual needs. She knows the patients and tailors her interactions based on those needs. One example occurred when Karen, with the consent of each person, introduced a teammate and a patient who had both recently lost a daughter to facilitate mutual healing and empathy. Both the patient and the teammate were so grateful for the experience and for Karen following her intuition and facilitating the interaction. Karen recognizes the importance of caring for the whole patient and makes it a priority every day. When communicating with anyone, Karen beautifully navigates difficult topics and concerns with care, compassion, and clarity. For example, she was once faced with a situation where an estranged daughter of a patient--who happened to be a physician herself--had come to her dad’s appointment for the first time, not having seen him for quite some time. Sensing the tension in the room, Karen asked if she could say a blessing for their relationship, the patient’s health, and for their clarity before the appointment began. The result was tears of healing and a family that was stronger and more prepared to start their cancer treatment journey. Again, her intuition made a huge impact on this patient and their family. Karen has been the chair of our interprofessional shared governance committee this past year. She has helped bring a team from different backgrounds together and focus on shared goals. Under her leadership, the department has participated in a quarterly community outreach project. During the 4th quarter, she designed a holiday card and used them to lead the team to do a candy cane brigade for all the patients under treatment. The team used the cards and added handwritten notes. It not only brought joy to the patients, but it also was a great team-building activity for the department. During the meetings, patient experience data is reviewed. Karen helps the team with scripting that can be used to help patients feel valued, cared for, and safe. Karen is truly the epitome of a caring, compassionate nurse. Her creativity, intuition, and passion for patients makes an impact and the whole department better. She always points the focus back to the patient. Recently, after being praised for the exceptional care she provided, Karen replied, “The patient has the hard job. They are the ones fighting for their lives.” Karen is truly exceptional and an example for us all.