Tiffany Banks
October 2025
Tiffany
Banks
,
MSN, RN, NE-BC
5G/H
Baptist Health Lexington
Lexington
,
KY
United States
Tiffany joined our organization in June 2022 as an experienced nurse leader and was awarded a DAISY Nurse Leader Honoree in February 2024. In her short tenure here, she has led change and fostered innovation within the practice environment of her units. She has accomplished this by developing clinical nurse leaders, promoting the value of nursing, improving engagement through the unit-based team, demonstrating leadership that enhances the nursing profession, and promoting a culture of safety and quality in healthcare.
From the moment Tiffany walked in the door at BHLEX, she embraced the Magnet culture to drive nurse-led solutions on her unit. One of her many gifts is identifying talent within her staff and mentoring them into clinical leaders among their peers. As the house-wide teams in our hospital were transitioning from shared to professional governance, Tiffany requested to recreate the same survey and education on her own unit, which was in much-needed revival after the departure of a former leader.
Through Tiffany’s support and leadership, the unit-based council began to educate staff on professional governance, as well as two quality initiatives focusing on HAPI prevention and nurse retention. Her leadership fostered problem-solving and critical thinking as the unit-based council collaborated to create an innovative HAPI prevention audit tool. Council members used this tool to audit prevention strategies on high-risk patients and provide real-time education to staff. After implementation, monthly HAPI rates decreased below pre-intervention levels for seven months, five of those months with zero injuries.
The nurse-led solution to promote retention and joy in the work environment was the creation of a “Welcome” bulletin board on the unit, introducing new staff members to the current employees. The culture of compassion and joy on the unit, fostered by Tiffany, led to a significant increase in engagement: from nine members on the unit-based team to twenty members in less than a year.
Tiffany has been a role model to the council and the unit as a whole. She has helped transform the work environment by creating a culture of trust, compassion, mutual respect, professional development, and ethical behavior.
Her staff and colleagues reflect the following:
From a current employee:
“She consistently shows up not just with us but for us. She puts in the legwork just like we do, whether it's filling a cart, taking someone to the restroom, or stopping a beeping IV pump. A listening ear and an open mind are two things I think of automatically. There is no pretentiousness about her. Her willingness to understand all sides of an issue is refreshing and, honestly, something I thought our floor had lost. She is always encouraging.”
From an employee recently transferred to an advanced role:
“Tiffany truly turned around the morale and culture of the unit when she started. She created a positive, encouraging, empowering, and supportive culture. She is always accessible, willing to help, and always provides a listening ear. When rounding on the unit, she would be the first to run into a patient's room if an alarm was beeping or the call light was on. She truly supports her staff, encouraging involvement to cultivate positive change and autonomy. She provided me with numerous opportunities for my professional development, and I will forever be thankful for her! She is driven and focused on creating positive patient outcomes and increasing staff satisfaction. She is truly the definition of a leader.”
From another staff member:
“When I accepted the position and decided to make Baptist Health Lexington my new home, I never imagined the true impact it would have on my life. Coming into a role that shifted my focus and way of thinking for the better, not only enhancing my personal self but also helping me grow beyond my dreams in my professional capabilities. Here, I found unity, belonging, and a true role model. Overflowing with self-awareness, positivity, humility, empathy, professionalism, and integrity, Tiffany exemplifies daily what it means to be a leader. She empowers us to take on tasks that push us outside our comfort zones and grow as professionals. She extracts passion in a way that allows it to take root, forming a solid foundation for us to be our best selves. She has rekindled a flame within me that I once feared was gone. Tiffany is the leader I aspire to be. We are blessed to have her. She truly deserves the Nurse Leader DAISY Award.”
From her colleague and clinical coordinator:
“Tiffany will go out of her way to help her staff—from giving patients baths to walking them in the hallway. She stocks gloves in the hallway weekly and sends handwritten birthday cards to all 80+ staff members. She is usually the first to jump up to pilot a new project if she thinks it will benefit patients and staff. Her energy does not stop, and she is the director I would like to be one day.”
There is no leader more deserving of the KONL DAISY Nurse Leader Award of the Year than Tiffany Banks. Her leadership has transformed the culture of her unit. She fosters a thriving environment of innovation, compassion, and joy. She supports nurse-led solutions, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Her compassion sets a powerful example for her staff. Tiffany exemplifies resilience, grit, and unwavering dedication.
***
This is Tiffany's 2nd DAISY Award!
From the moment Tiffany walked in the door at BHLEX, she embraced the Magnet culture to drive nurse-led solutions on her unit. One of her many gifts is identifying talent within her staff and mentoring them into clinical leaders among their peers. As the house-wide teams in our hospital were transitioning from shared to professional governance, Tiffany requested to recreate the same survey and education on her own unit, which was in much-needed revival after the departure of a former leader.
Through Tiffany’s support and leadership, the unit-based council began to educate staff on professional governance, as well as two quality initiatives focusing on HAPI prevention and nurse retention. Her leadership fostered problem-solving and critical thinking as the unit-based council collaborated to create an innovative HAPI prevention audit tool. Council members used this tool to audit prevention strategies on high-risk patients and provide real-time education to staff. After implementation, monthly HAPI rates decreased below pre-intervention levels for seven months, five of those months with zero injuries.
The nurse-led solution to promote retention and joy in the work environment was the creation of a “Welcome” bulletin board on the unit, introducing new staff members to the current employees. The culture of compassion and joy on the unit, fostered by Tiffany, led to a significant increase in engagement: from nine members on the unit-based team to twenty members in less than a year.
Tiffany has been a role model to the council and the unit as a whole. She has helped transform the work environment by creating a culture of trust, compassion, mutual respect, professional development, and ethical behavior.
Her staff and colleagues reflect the following:
From a current employee:
“She consistently shows up not just with us but for us. She puts in the legwork just like we do, whether it's filling a cart, taking someone to the restroom, or stopping a beeping IV pump. A listening ear and an open mind are two things I think of automatically. There is no pretentiousness about her. Her willingness to understand all sides of an issue is refreshing and, honestly, something I thought our floor had lost. She is always encouraging.”
From an employee recently transferred to an advanced role:
“Tiffany truly turned around the morale and culture of the unit when she started. She created a positive, encouraging, empowering, and supportive culture. She is always accessible, willing to help, and always provides a listening ear. When rounding on the unit, she would be the first to run into a patient's room if an alarm was beeping or the call light was on. She truly supports her staff, encouraging involvement to cultivate positive change and autonomy. She provided me with numerous opportunities for my professional development, and I will forever be thankful for her! She is driven and focused on creating positive patient outcomes and increasing staff satisfaction. She is truly the definition of a leader.”
From another staff member:
“When I accepted the position and decided to make Baptist Health Lexington my new home, I never imagined the true impact it would have on my life. Coming into a role that shifted my focus and way of thinking for the better, not only enhancing my personal self but also helping me grow beyond my dreams in my professional capabilities. Here, I found unity, belonging, and a true role model. Overflowing with self-awareness, positivity, humility, empathy, professionalism, and integrity, Tiffany exemplifies daily what it means to be a leader. She empowers us to take on tasks that push us outside our comfort zones and grow as professionals. She extracts passion in a way that allows it to take root, forming a solid foundation for us to be our best selves. She has rekindled a flame within me that I once feared was gone. Tiffany is the leader I aspire to be. We are blessed to have her. She truly deserves the Nurse Leader DAISY Award.”
From her colleague and clinical coordinator:
“Tiffany will go out of her way to help her staff—from giving patients baths to walking them in the hallway. She stocks gloves in the hallway weekly and sends handwritten birthday cards to all 80+ staff members. She is usually the first to jump up to pilot a new project if she thinks it will benefit patients and staff. Her energy does not stop, and she is the director I would like to be one day.”
There is no leader more deserving of the KONL DAISY Nurse Leader Award of the Year than Tiffany Banks. Her leadership has transformed the culture of her unit. She fosters a thriving environment of innovation, compassion, and joy. She supports nurse-led solutions, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Her compassion sets a powerful example for her staff. Tiffany exemplifies resilience, grit, and unwavering dedication.
***
This is Tiffany's 2nd DAISY Award!