Let me tell you why Nurse Kristen Kenniston is a DAISY Nurse. Why her? What gives her in my opinion that “edge” above others in the hearts of patients? Like her fellow brothers and sisters in nursing, Kristen gives her all. Yet in my case she’s all that - and much more. She has been a constant and an anchor in a medical environment where for the last 14 or 15 years as a patient I have been cared for by at least six wonderful PCPs who at the end of their term move on. I’m the type of person who forms personal relationships so it’s very painful for me to say “Goodbye.” But Kristen remains to save the day and nurture my little heart – until the PCP shows up and the cycle continues. Each year when I get the letter announcing my new PCP I send a letter welcoming him or her to Boston and introducing myself as their “Poster Child.” And always encouraging them to rely on Kristen as their compass around the “new neighborhood” because she’s the go-to person in the office. I secretly hope she “trains” them and guides them in the right direction and saves us all time. Kristen never disappoints as the PCPs will later tell me!

So, what difference has Kristen, my beloved nurse, made in my life? Kristen has made it a point to be there for me for almost 15 years since I first moved to Boston after suffering an MI and leaving all behind to start a new life. She has taken the time to get to know me as a person and not just as a senior with aging issues. She knows my strengths and my weaknesses; my fear of dying during the pandemic and my loneliness over the holidays. She knows how I think and feel because she knows the importance of emotional psychological and physical balance. In short, she gets me – as a total human being and respects that when I report a concern to her I’m not “crying Wolf.” I can count on Kristen to immediately address my medical concerns ask the right questions and seek appropriate action. Always!

To say that Kristen goes beyond the call of duty is an understatement. She does not have to work so hard and give so much of herself, but she does. As a patient, I do my best to let Kristen know how grateful I am and how blessed I feel to have her as my nurse. My greatest hope is that I have been able to convey from a grateful patient’s point of view what makes Kristen Kenniston a true DAISY Nurse!

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I had the opportunity of working with Kristen Kenniston and I am proud to say she is my colleague. She is hard working highly motivated and very conscientious. She serves as my mentor/preceptor in Internal Medicine Associate (IMA). Kristen is an experienced nurse in IMA, she is a successful multitasker with great clinical depth who uses clinical knowledge best practice, and creativity when faced with challenges or barriers.

I have observed Kristen as a change agent at multiple levels in my day-to-day interaction with her. She is an active participant in IMA to promote change and improve practice. She not only identifies issues to be addressed but she also freely communicates these issues to leadership and helps to brainstorm and implement improvements to be made.

Kristen demonstrates her strong ability to handle rapidly changing priorities organize and communicate effectively through her role as an experienced nurse and a lead nurse in IMA. Kristen is dependable and exemplifies the very meaning of teamwork. She supports her colleagues in their practice and is always willing to help with any task. It is my opinion that Kristen is special as she is a wonderful preceptor, coworker, and team leader. Most important Kristen is always advocating for her patients and her patients appreciate her for her wealth of knowledge.

Overall, she is a great nurse and should be recognized for all that she does. She has taught me so much about how to triage patients over-the-phone, wound care, and all the other things that she does as an ambulatory nurse. I would like to thank her for being my preceptor, a coworker, and a team player; someone I can go to if I have questions.

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I have worked with nurses for over 40 years and Kristen Kenniston is among the top nurses I have known. She is incredibly competent, possessing exceptional triage skills. She has exceedingly good intuition about when patients are sick and need prompt care. She administers so much kindness and attention to our patients who have been really suffering during the pandemic. She works very fast and accomplishes a great amount to lower the burden on providers with respect to in-basket labor. She has trained many nurses and encourages them to stay engaged with her. I have been a witness to their appreciation for the time and care she takes to train them.

Kristen encourages our medical assistants and patient service coordinators to further their education and training. She is a mentor and role model. The medical assistants who sit behind her in our workroom learn so much from just listening to her phone management. One of our medical assistants went to nursing school at Kristen’s encouragement. Kristen and I went to her graduation from nursing school.

The most important attribute is Kristen’s warmth, kindness, and deep empathy. This is the attribute that distinguishes her clinically. She is incredibly kind to all of us when we are struggling with personal issues. She has a great sense of humor that lightens the difficulties we encounter in the practice of primary care. We always know that she is there when we need support. Kristen brings warmth and light into our lives and makes our Pod a wonderful place to work. If any nurse deserves the DAISY Award it is Kristen.