A Phenomenal nurse that is the best combination of professional, empathetic, compassionate, and friendly. She interacts and talks with her patients, which makes them want to confide in her their concerns, their relief, and everything in between. Not only does she provide this to her patients, but also to her peers.

I can think of many reasons why Kirsten is more than deserving of this award, but one particular scenario comes to mind. During a load-heavy day in the CCU, she had a patient that was a 1:1 and critically ill. This patient was very unstable through dialysis requiring presser support requiring frequent bedside monitoring and drip titration while also requiring constant communication with the doctors, and emotional support for the patient/family. Kirsten was efficient in providing excellent care to the patient while educating not only the patient and family, but also her orientee. At one point the patient took a turn for the worse requiring multiple units of blood products back to back to back for a pending procedure with slim odds of survival. This patient and family were well informed of the patient’s odds and were comforted by Kirsten’s honesty, empathy, and tactful communication. When all was said and done, and few tense hours later, the patient was wheeled back into the room on their bed with a giant grin on his face and exclaimed to everyone in the room “I bet you didn’t except me to come back did you!” followed by a laugh and a sheer look of relief.

The outcome would not have been the same without attentiveness to the patient’s symptoms and presentation. Kirsten is one of the reasons that make me believe that Skagit is a better place for our patients, and this is far more than enough reason for her to receive this award.