May 2022
Karen
Sutton
,
BSN, RN, COS-C
Home Services
Schneck Medical Center
Seymour
,
IN
United States

 

 

 

Karen truly humbles me on a daily basis. She is the epitome of selflessness, love, generosity, and pure kindness. For this, I will be forever thankful, humbled, and inspired by my beautiful leader, Karen.
The past couple of years have been very trying for all of us. Covid-19 has affected many of us emotionally, spiritually, and unfortunately financially as well. Through all of the changes, there has been one person in particular that has done her done her very best to always show us that the glass is half full rather than the glass is half empty. This person for me and my department is Karen.

Emotionally: Karen is always willing to provide a smile, a funny story, a hug, or even willing to pitch in and see patients if needed. She never fails to feed us homemade cakes and goodies if she feels our morale is getting low (never underestimate the emotional power of a cake made by Karen!). Karen has the ability to read people and know when something isn’t quite right. She may leave a card on your desk, or buy a small gift to surprise you. She comes in on her days off to decorate our offices for the holidays! She is a light in these very demanding and draining times. For these things, we appreciate her!

Spiritually: Karen is a calm spirit with a genuine soul. We can tell by her actions, that God leads her steps and her words. She has pure motives and pure intentions and never seeks gain or recognition for the selfless things she does for us, and this is a true gift. For these things, we respect her!

Financially: This one hits very close to home for me, and is the true reason I am nominating Karen for this award. I have been blessed through Covid-19, with a great job and the ability to work to make sure my family’s needs are met. However, toward the end of August, my son was driving my car, and the engine just died. He called me, stating that all the lights came on the dashboard, and luckily, he was able to coast into a gas station. I had the car towed, and thinking I wouldn’t be able to work on Monday without a car, I messaged Karen to let her know what happened. I told her if I was able to work, that I would be in late, because I would need to get a rental. Almost immediately, she messaged me back saying if I needed to be off that was fine, but she had an extra vehicle I was more than welcome to use if needed. Of course, I was very thankful and said yes, thinking that it would only be a couple of days. Big mistake on my part. A few days turned into almost 3 months. Never once, did she question me about my car. I would give her updates as I got them, but she always said with a smile, “It’s OK! Don’t worry about it.” Her selflessness and generosity saved me at least $3,000.00 dollars in rental fees. As it turned out, my car needed a new engine. My bumper-to-bumper warranty covered all but $250.00. Karen has been a godsend to me during this holiday time. Her generosity saved my kid’s and grand babies’ Christmas. Although I have been lucky enough to not struggle finically during Covid-19, I can honestly say, that expense would have broken me, and I would have had to use my Christmas club to pay for it. Karen truly humbles me on a daily basis. She is the epitome of selflessness, love, generosity, and pure kindness. For this, I will be forever thankful, humbled, and inspired by my beautiful leader, Karen.

For all these reasons, my department and I feel that Karen is a true DAISY Nurse. We appreciate her! We respect her! We love her!!!

***

Karen is the manager that makes our workplace enjoyable. She knows her staff well, knows our likes and dislikes, and uses that information to make birthdays and holidays special. On our birthdays, she brings in desserts specific for that person. For example, I don’t like cake; therefore I get a dessert in my favorite flavors (usually a concoction of chocolate and peanut butter), but not a cake. Another nurse loves lemon and blueberries, therefore, for her birthday she gets a lemon cake with blueberry topping. Similarly, Karen gets individual gifts for each nurse for Christmas. One year she hand-painted mugs with our names on them. Last year, in the midst of Covid, she and her daughter decorated the nursing office with snowflakes, streamers, and other holiday decor to lift the mood during a dark time in our workplace. She goes above and beyond to build a cohesive team and keep up the morale in our department. She is an amazing manager and deserves to be recognized.