July 2026 Honoree
Kristen Horton, BSN, RN
Kristen consistently proves herself to be one of the most compassionate and patient nurses in PreOp/PACU. Kristen serves as PreOp Charge multiple times a week and remains positive and kind, even when the day's stress levels are high. Recently, tension and miscommunication have increased between surgeons and our PreOp staff regarding a new step in the workflow. On one day, Kristen was repeatedly confronted about this process and remained calm, professional, and consistently opened the floor for conversation so everyone could stay on the same page. I work 5 days a week on this unit, see a lot of commotion on this floor, and can confidently say few people handle it better than Kristen. She deserves the DAISY Award, and I'm lucky to share the PreOp floor with her three days a week.
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Kristen is a nurse who truly goes above and beyond for her patients. There was recently a pre-op patient who was going for surgery later at night and was very agitated due to hunger. The patient said he was worried he wouldn't be able to order food because it was so late. Kristen collaborated with the doctor to change his NPO status so food could be delivered to the patient immediately after surgery instead of making him wait. The food arrived at PACU, and the patient was very thankful to have his meal waiting for him. While this is only one example, Kristen does these small acts of service every day for her patients. She is truly an asset to the PACU and Banner.
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My patient began to quickly deteriorate in PACU. We immediately decided we needed to reintubate my patient. Kristen heard the commotion and immediately came to help me. It was a very stressful situation that took multiple nurses and providers to stabilize the patient. Once the patient was stabilized, Kristen volunteered to help me take the patient to the ICU. While walking back from the ICU, I broke down for a moment because of the stress. I also experienced a rush of emotion due to my own PTSD from having to be reintubated after my own surgery. Kristen stopped walking and let me have a moment to collect myself. She didn't judge me or tell me to suck it up. Instead, she let me express my feelings and collect myself so that I could go back to caring for other patients. It takes a truly special nurse to create a safe space for other nurses, and that's exactly what Kristen did. While this is just one small example, Kristen consistently exceeds expectations every day for patients, families, and staff. She is a truly remarkable coworker, and I always smile when I see that I am working with her.
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Kristen is a nurse who truly goes above and beyond for her patients. There was recently a pre-op patient who was going for surgery later at night and was very agitated due to hunger. The patient said he was worried he wouldn't be able to order food because it was so late. Kristen collaborated with the doctor to change his NPO status so food could be delivered to the patient immediately after surgery instead of making him wait. The food arrived at PACU, and the patient was very thankful to have his meal waiting for him. While this is only one example, Kristen does these small acts of service every day for her patients. She is truly an asset to the PACU and Banner.
***
My patient began to quickly deteriorate in PACU. We immediately decided we needed to reintubate my patient. Kristen heard the commotion and immediately came to help me. It was a very stressful situation that took multiple nurses and providers to stabilize the patient. Once the patient was stabilized, Kristen volunteered to help me take the patient to the ICU. While walking back from the ICU, I broke down for a moment because of the stress. I also experienced a rush of emotion due to my own PTSD from having to be reintubated after my own surgery. Kristen stopped walking and let me have a moment to collect myself. She didn't judge me or tell me to suck it up. Instead, she let me express my feelings and collect myself so that I could go back to caring for other patients. It takes a truly special nurse to create a safe space for other nurses, and that's exactly what Kristen did. While this is just one small example, Kristen consistently exceeds expectations every day for patients, families, and staff. She is a truly remarkable coworker, and I always smile when I see that I am working with her.
Thank you, Kristen, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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