Krista Niblett, RN, was nominated for the DAISY Award by the parents of her patient, who came to Mercy Hospital St. Louis three months early of their expected due date to deliver their daughter, N. At birth, N weighed 1 lb, 13 oz, had a heart murmur and required breathing support from several different devices in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Krista was assigned to be N’s nurse about two weeks into her three month stay in the NICU. The parents said what stood out immediately about Krista was her ability to be an advocate for N and how she coached them to do the same thing. Krista spent many hours explaining to the family what the different physician orders meant and why the machines were beeping – acting as a translator and a fine substitute to the books that had served as their guide through their NICU experience.

The parents describe Krista as being very compassionate, and at the same time, very direct and confident in what she said without sounding alarming, pessimistic or superior.

The mother said they shared many laughs with Krista. “As a NICU parent, I never thought I would get to the point where I would feel relaxed enough to laugh at any time during our daughter’s stay,” she said. “That just validates how Krista made us feel.”

The family also called Krista empathetic as she shared her own parenting experiences. She let them know they were not alone in their situation. Krista also encouraged them by explaining the time and love they showed N was helping her to improve every day.

“When it was time for N to leave the NICU, Krista reminded us to have faith in ourselves and that we could care for her on our own. She was right!”