Katherine Miles is a registered nurse at the University of Vermont Medical Center Hospital. She works in an inpatient cardiovascular unit. She cares for acutely ill patients with diagnoses of heart failure, structural heart disease, and heart arrhythmias, as well as post-operative patients recovering from invasive cardiac procedures and surgeries. Katherine’s care is compassionate, collaborative, detailed, and scholarly. She quickly connects and establishes a caring, trusting relationship with the patient and their family while advocating for all in the best interest of the patient's and family’s wishes. She consistently demonstrates endless professionalism both at work and at school, serving as a role model for her work colleagues and student peers. Although Katherine has only been a registered nurse for one year, she mentors the University of Vermont Bachelor of Science senior practicum nursing students in their final semester. This is a testament to her nursing expertise and professionalism. In addition, she is vested in improving patient care and is actively researching the literature for best practices that address hospital readmission within 30 days in the heart failure population. Her goal is to encompass a multidisciplinary approach to an existing model using modalities within a nursing scope of practice.

Finally, Katherine is a respected and trusted leader among her classmates. She serves as a class representative for Vermont State University’s RN to BSN Online program. In this role, Katherine is a critical liaison between faculty and students. Her compassion for supporting the program’s students is relentless. She is not only the voice of students but also a mentor, support person, and cheerleader for all students in the program. Katherine has assisted multiple student peers at all hours of the day with emotional support, advocacy, and mental well-being. As you have read above, Katherine is a trusted and respected role model, both as a professional nurse and student peer, who serves the needs of others. She is well-deserving of the DAISY Award. Thank you for all that you do and have done for our students!

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Katherine does not stop at 100%. She gives more and more to the point where it's unmanageable. Her sole focus is her patients' long-term outcomes. She seeks holistic care for each patient and prioritizes extra support she may need in their treatment process, such as consultation with experts. 

Katherine is one of two student representatives for the RN-BSN online completion program at VTSU. She is always kind and compassionate when responding to concerns or questions from our fellow nursing students/cohort. Her willingness to go above and beyond for those she cares for and her attention to detail make her an exceptional nurse and nursing student.