Nomination Story:  Kaley is an extraordinary nurse, an unsung hero in Legacy Polyclinic Primary Care. She does a lot of quiet, behind-the-scenes work to make patient care safer and more efficient while also delivering quality care to patients, and she deserves to be recognized for her hard work.

Patient Safety:  Kaley is very conscientious in her role in delivering patient care. If a patient has emergent symptoms and we are unable to get in touch with the patient, she will exhaust every option in the chart to contact the patient that day and will call a welfare check if needed.
When our team is in doubt about what to do in certain situations, she is always quick to reply with answers, and if needed, offer to call 911 for an RN to talk to a patient with emergent symptoms.  Not only that, but she will always offer to debrief afterwards. In my ten years working as an RN, I have never had another RN offer to do this for me.

Quality Outcomes:  Kaley's work in quality has been huge. She travels to SVC, Downtown, and Tacoma on her WFH day to meet with her nurses in person to learn how she can best support them.  She volunteers to be on multiple sub-committees within the Optum WA RN Lead group to better define and streamline workflows (Inbox Standardization, Wound Care, and Foley Catheters).
*Participates in interdisciplinary meetings with groups such as Call Assist and Advocates to be a voice for Primary Care RNs.

Advocacy:  Kaley advocates for work/life balance and mental health support for the nursing team, making sure everyone takes their breaks and feels supported to take needed time off. Her commitment to being present and supporting her team is how she helps out others - 15% of her Triage in 2025 was completed for a department other than her primary assignment.

Respect:  Kaley is one of the few leaders I've encountered who will listen to all sides of a story regarding colleague interaction and patient care before moving forward with a decision. When she does have to have those follow-up conversations, they're non-judgmental and learning focused.
She facilitates the growth of her colleagues by showing interest in what lights them up and supporting their goals in and outside of the workplace.
Right now, she's piloting the RN calling for AWV pre-screen calls, which affirms patients' health care goals and creates partnerships with our patients. This shows consideration for her colleagues' time with patients, as she is helping the patient and provider be more present with each other during their appointments.