Kotaya is an excellent Chief APP who promotes and advances the profession with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, more than 18 years of nursing experience, and three RN certifications. She truly cares for anyone she encounters with a focus on elevating hope. Before becoming an NP, Kotaya created a hidradenitis support group at her hospital to connect and unify patients through shared experiences.

When health cannot be improved, she tends to the spirit of others. Recently, Kotaya sat and cried with a daughter grieving the immediate decline of her mother’s health. Even though this act extended her workday and decreased hours with her own family, she committed to person-centered care and provided her patient’s daughter with the compassionate presence she needed. Kotaya is an exceptional resource in clinical care and has not only improved health and saved lives by preventing sentinel events, but she has also invested greatly in the practice of other nurses thereby producing an immeasurable impact at the bedside. She used the proceeds from an award she received to purchase needed items and make her work setting more user-friendly for her colleagues.

As a first-generation college graduate, Kotaya is devoted to the success of others. She serves as an Atrium preceptor year-round to NP Fellowship candidates and serves as an adjunct NP instructor. She has been recognized by her students for her compassion, patience, and effective teaching style. A few years ago, as a new NP at her workplace, she created an orientation manual and process to help new NPs who joined her team. This manual and orientation process has been adapted by other NP groups within Atrium and beyond. She also created NP Practice Guidelines and tools for her team to standardize practice and prevent medical errors. This work has drastically improved patient safety, turnover rates, and nurse satisfaction. She serves as a Board member of a local NP Organization whose purpose is to provide networking opportunities and continued education for NPs and developing NP students.

Kotaya has served as a mentor to many healthcare providers. Many nurses credit their success in becoming a nurse to her. She has been recognized as a mother figure and the catalyst that pulled one mentee through a traumatic college experience. As an RN certified and trained in Advanced Care - Your Care Your Choice, this candidate serves on a Regional Coalition to promulgate education related to advanced directives. She frequently devotes her time after hours to help patients and families work through making difficult decisions regarding end-of-life processes and goals. She provided multiple End of Life education sessions with lunch and notaries at three predominately black churches in her city to help raise awareness and dispel negative connotations of end-of-life planning. Additionally, she has volunteered in many community outreach health fairs to help provide health education, health screenings, and services to attendees. She makes free home visits outside of work hours for high-risk patients who lack insurance, to ensure that their wounds are properly dressed and taken care of to reduce infection and poor healing. Kotaya volunteers at a local Food pantry regularly to supply resources for residents in need. She led a drive that successfully acquired money and medical supplies for a fellow colleague to take on his mission trip to Cameroon, Africa. She hosts an annual bookbag and school supply drive at her church to feed residents in the community and provide school supplies. Kotaya has nominated countless nursing and non-nursing colleagues for various awards and recognitions. Her thoughtfulness engages the team and radiates energy and enthusiasm that promotes teamwork. Kotaya is the epitome of a DAISY Nurse Leader whose true mission is to improve health, elevate hope, and advance healing for all!