Extraordinary Oncology Nurse Recognized at Mon Health Medical Center

Katelynn King, Oncology RN at Mon Health Medical Center
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses Honoree

Katelynn King, RN, was recently honored as The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses recipient at Mon Health Medical Center. Awarded to nurses quarterly at the hospital, The DAISY Award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

The nomination submitted from one of Katelynn patients read:

“I was admitted in early December to begin my cancer/chemotherapy journey. I had information from Dr. McBee and their staff as to what to expect. My first day and night I was treated with kind, respectful, and caring staff. The next morning, Katelynn came in and introduced herself as my nurse for the day. She asked if I needed anything or if I had any questions. I did. Katelynn was very patient with me and answered every question I had. She even explained other occurrences that I never thought or even knew about. I knew she was busy and had other patients to take care of, but she took the time to treat me with overwhelming kindness and patience.

Two weeks later, I was readmitted to the oncology ward to continue my treatments. Katelynn came into my room, welcoming me back by name, with that beautiful smile and warm kindness. I was very happy that she was my nurse for my two day stay. Both days, she always took the time, no matter how busy she was, to make sure I understood what was going on with my treatments, answer any questions, do anything to make me more comfortable and to check on me to make sure I was okay. I can’t say thank you enough to Katelynn. She is a kind, sweet, and caring person. She has made my treatments more bearable and less frightening. She doesn’t treat me like a patient. She has made me feel like a friend or family member.”

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Katelynn is a Registered Nurse in the Oncology department and has worked for Mon Health Medical Center for nearly two years.

“With oncology, we have patients who come in often, so we are able to build a relationship with them and see their conditions change and improve through our diagnosis process,” she said.

“We are so fortunate to have nurses like Katelynn. She is an amazing representation of our Oncology team, and she is incredibly deserving of this award,” said Krystal Atkinson, Chief Administrative Officer at Mon Health Medical Center.

Nurses can be nominated by anyone who has been affected by their care – patients, family members, other nurses, physicians, other clinicians, and staff – anyone who has experienced or observed extraordinary, compassionate care being provided by a nurse. Say thank you to a nurse and nominate them for the DAISY Award by visiting MonHealth.com/DAISY. To learn more about the DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses, visit DAISYFoundation.org.