Kelley has been working with VNAHG home care since 2021, and I have proudly observed her making great strides over this time. Kelley came to us from a renal dialysis background. She fell in love with home care during her BSN student rotation, and she sought employment after sharing days in the field with one of our preceptors. Since she began her home care career, she has completed the BSN program, obtained a wound certification, and attained preceptor status. Kelley is a go-getter, and she never tires of increasing her knowledge and honing her skills. She is an information sponge, frequently seeking education and information to expand her understanding and expertise. She does not back down from challenges and volunteers to take on complex cases so she can make a focused effort to improve patient situations. When faced with particularly challenging scenarios she collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to provide resources and always does her very best to come up with innovative ideas to help. She works tirelessly to provide excellent care and even reaches out to neighboring teams to offer support at any free moment.

I often hear from teammates of Kelley’s unwavering commitment her patients. They have expressed admiration for her sensitivity to patient preferences and attention to individual needs. One day, I learned that she invested her personal time and resources into creating a custom system that allowed a quadriplegic patient who was alert and oriented to hydrate safely and independently without needing a person at the bedside for each sip. The wound support team has also made special mention of Kelley’s continued collaboration, communication, and excellent teamwork. She thoroughly educates and supports patients in improving health, preventing illness, and enhancing quality of life.

I have received so many compliments from patients and their caregivers in honor of Kelley as well. One patient’s wife called in to report what a wonderful nurse Kelley is. She said Kelley was fantastic, professional, friendly, and knowledgeable (and just wonderful)! Both patient and wife really wanted her to be acknowledged for the effort she made to take such great care of them.

Another patient reached out to relay gratitude for the services she received from Kelley, stating she was so kind, and made things very easy to understand while she was recovering from her heart problem and pacemaker placement. She said Kelley was so very nice, and thanks to her she is doing much better these days and able to things for herself again in her home.

Another patient wrote an e-mail to the organization, which read, “I just wanted to tell you how impressed I’ve been with Nurse Kelley B. Her expertise and caring have made my recovery from hip replacement surgery as easy as possible. Every time Kelley has come, she has been the consummate professional, and the extra TLC she has continually provided has been remarkable. Kudos to you for having Kelley in your employ. We need more nurses like her!”

Another time, a patient wrote in the HHCAHPS survey response, “I am very content and pleased with the care I receive from my care provider- Kelley. She is very thorough and gentle, and she answers my questions and always washing her hands and sanitizing them before touching me. Changes gloves constantly. I have been blessed to have such a caring person helping me get healthy. And very prompt. Arrived at the time scheduled and kept on top of my supplies. Great VNA nurse!”

Yet another patient’s wife called in to report she could not be happier to have Kelley as her husband's nurse. She said she provides a better assessment than the doctors do. She also described Kelley as being outstanding, and top-notch.

And another patient called on multiple occasions to leave repeat compliments, going on about how wonderful Nurse Kelley B is. She said that Kelley was so nice to talk to and that one can tell that she really cares. She called on separate occasions because she wanted to make very sure that this message got through to Kelley and the team.

I am so proud to work with Kelley and enthusiastically endorse this DAISY Award nomination!