I want to nominate Karla Murphy for the DAISY Leader Award. Early one morning in October, the sleeping town of Indiana had a mass shooting. Karla was the Shift Coordinator scheduled during this time. She was able to manage patient and staff flow during a chaotic time when multiple traumas were arriving at an emergency department. Several staff members needed her assistance, others needed her guidance, and Karla gave both. 

Karla was able to coordinate staff, while still assisting physicians in providing care and stabilizing their patients. Several patients flew out of our emergency room or were sent by ambulance, and Karla kept track of each of them. She had everything under control and could direct everyone safely to their destination. She could do all this while remaining calm, and keeping the rest of the team calm, so everyone could provide the best care under such profound circumstances. 

Karla may not have touched every patient directly who arrived that night, but she did touch each one by providing exceptional critical thinking, determination, patience, and, most of all, heart. Karla would agree that she was blessed that morning by having a great team of professional healthcare workers who worked together to provide outstanding teamwork. Those of us present would agree as well. Karla wasn’t just a shift coordinator during this time, she was a nurse, house mother, caregiver, and some would say a damn good chaos coordinator. Karla is a true DAISY Nurse Leader.