Krista Dienhart
July 2025
Krista
Dienhart
,
MS, RN, CNRN, SCRN, NEA-BC
Neuroscience Unit
UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital
Aurora
,
CO
United States
Krista makes you feel heard. She makes you feel safe. She was born for this job.
It is my absolute privilege to celebrate an Extraordinary Nurse Leader, Krista Dienhart, as our DAISY Nurse Leader Award recipient.
Krista’s journey with UCHealth began over 20 years ago as a travel nurse. From staff nurse to charge, to assistant manager, and now the manager of our Neuroscience unit, Krista has grown into an impactful leader not only for UCH, but for her staff and patients on the neuroscience unit. This is evident in her nomination letters, as she was nominated by 4 of her nurses.
Krista leads not from an office, but from the bedside, answering call lights, toileting patients, lending a hand wherever needed. Her staff describe her as kind, present, supportive, and authentic.
Under Krista’s leadership, the Neuroscience Floor has become a home. A place where nurses stay—for five, ten, even twenty years. And when someone leaves, they often find their way back. That’s the kind of environment Krista creates: one of safety, teamwork, learning, and belonging. This is evident by the unit's 12-month trended turnover rate for nurses of 7.5% well below the national average of 13.5%
She has elevated professional development by role modeling. Krista holds three professional nurse certifications and is president of the local chapter of the American Association of Neuroscience Nursing.
Her commitment to advancing specialty certification directly contributed to our organization’s 6th Magnet designation. Under her leadership, the certification rate on her unit rose from 26% in 2020 to an incredible 66% in 2022. That kind of happens through consistent encouragement, mentorship, and setting a high bar for nurses.
Krista always has her eye on quality and safety, which is evident by the unit’s impressive track record of having not one but two NSI metrics outperforming the national average every quarter for two years (Device-related HAPI and CAUTI) . She approaches metrics with the just culture algorithm, looking at processes, holding debriefs, and sharing knowledge across the unit. She builds teams. She empowers preceptors and supports new grads.
To quote her nominators: “Krista makes you feel heard. She makes you feel safe. She was born for this job.” Another said simply: “She is amazing. And I hope she can be recognized for all she does.”
Krista, today we recognize you. Not just as our DAISY Nurse Leader Award recipient, but as a leader who truly improves the lives of patients, families, and every member of your team.
Krista’s journey with UCHealth began over 20 years ago as a travel nurse. From staff nurse to charge, to assistant manager, and now the manager of our Neuroscience unit, Krista has grown into an impactful leader not only for UCH, but for her staff and patients on the neuroscience unit. This is evident in her nomination letters, as she was nominated by 4 of her nurses.
Krista leads not from an office, but from the bedside, answering call lights, toileting patients, lending a hand wherever needed. Her staff describe her as kind, present, supportive, and authentic.
Under Krista’s leadership, the Neuroscience Floor has become a home. A place where nurses stay—for five, ten, even twenty years. And when someone leaves, they often find their way back. That’s the kind of environment Krista creates: one of safety, teamwork, learning, and belonging. This is evident by the unit's 12-month trended turnover rate for nurses of 7.5% well below the national average of 13.5%
She has elevated professional development by role modeling. Krista holds three professional nurse certifications and is president of the local chapter of the American Association of Neuroscience Nursing.
Her commitment to advancing specialty certification directly contributed to our organization’s 6th Magnet designation. Under her leadership, the certification rate on her unit rose from 26% in 2020 to an incredible 66% in 2022. That kind of happens through consistent encouragement, mentorship, and setting a high bar for nurses.
Krista always has her eye on quality and safety, which is evident by the unit’s impressive track record of having not one but two NSI metrics outperforming the national average every quarter for two years (Device-related HAPI and CAUTI) . She approaches metrics with the just culture algorithm, looking at processes, holding debriefs, and sharing knowledge across the unit. She builds teams. She empowers preceptors and supports new grads.
To quote her nominators: “Krista makes you feel heard. She makes you feel safe. She was born for this job.” Another said simply: “She is amazing. And I hope she can be recognized for all she does.”
Krista, today we recognize you. Not just as our DAISY Nurse Leader Award recipient, but as a leader who truly improves the lives of patients, families, and every member of your team.