Katie Traeger has been a force on our unit for as long as I can remember. She has demonstrated some of the most consistent skills, including when under pressure. When I first started on this unit, Katie assisted me with a code and was so cool under pressure that I have not forgotten the amazing IV skills that allowed her to place an IV while we were doing compressions.
Katie is the quintessential, compassionate nurse. Not only does she give her all for her patients, but she often develops such a rapport with them that she remains friends with them long after they are discharged. One of the reasons she deserves a DAISY is because of this:
Recently, Katie had a young patient who had a very poor prognosis and was not expected to live past 3 months. He and his wife were expecting their first child, and his wife's first ultrasound was scheduled for a day when he was still hospitalized. Katie and a nurse from RR pulled out all the stops to try to get him to witness his child for the first time and find out the gender. They contacted perinatology and found as the wife was "high risk" that a perinatologist had to be present, so the ultrasound could not be done in his room as they had hoped.
They called his attending provider and got buy-in from the surgical team to transport this medically complex patient to ultrasound to witness his unborn child. Katie and the nurse from RR traveled with him and were present for the very emotional experience and gender reveal. This took considerable effort and a time commitment, a shout out to the oncology staff for helping to cover Katie while she was off the floor and keeping all our patients safe, and she continued to care for this patient and his family's complex emotional needs for the rest of the day. The family was so grateful that Katie was able to go over and above for them, which Katie, of course, feels like it is all in a day's work.
Katie has years of experience at Salem Hospital, devoting herself to her patients, co-workers and her employer. She routinely exhibits her expertise and commitment to Salem Hospital every day that she works and every interaction she makes with the people around her. She is kind, caring, smart as a whip, and brushes away compliments as "just doing her job." Katie is a leader in our unit, not only in what she exemplifies in nursing practice but in her continued commitment to education, care, and leadership. She is a Charge Nurse and one of our "go to" nurses for questions about complicated patients and procedures. She is an oncology nursing certified, and we are so proud to have her on our unit.