Mat-Su Regional recognizes service during National Nurses Week, Hospital Month

May 6-12 is recognized as National Nurses Week, a time to honor the contributions and sacrifices nurses make every day and reminds us to thank the medical professionals who keep us healthy. The week has historical significance as the week always on May 12, the birthdate of nurse Florence Nightingale.

Once viewed as lowly doctors’ assistants, nurses are now recognized as highly specialized professionals with a wide range of skills, extreme focus, and dedication, and is a crucial link between patients and doctors.

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center has been honoring nurses all week, and took time out of the busy hospital schedule to recognize several nurses and staff on Tuesday during a special ceremony, that was anything but formal.

The ceremony had a Mexican theme as Mat-Su Regional CEO Dave Wallace oversaw the events, helping give out awards such as the “Hot Tamale” Rising Star, “Whole Enchilada Award” for Leadership, and the “Nacho-liscious” Award for Creativity and Innovation.

A standout portion of the event was the naming of 2 DAISY Award recipients. The DAISY Award establishing a recognition program, The DAISY Award was established in 1999 by the Patrick Barnes Foundation as a way to recognize the “super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day,” according to the DAISY website.

Nurses are nominated by anyone within the healthcare organization including patients, family members, other nurses, physicians, other clinicians and staff who experiences or observes extraordinary compassionate care being provided by a nurse.

Along with recognition from the DAISY Foundation, nurses receive a sculpture and cinnamon rolls, a loving nod to Patrick Barnes for whom the foundation is named, who passed away from an autoimmune disease. After the loss, his family wanted to find a way to celebrate and honor the extraordinary compassionate kindness Patrick received, and created the DAISY Award. And the cinnamon rolls? That is a nod to one of the only foods he was able to eat leading up to his death.

This year, 2 nurses from the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center were awarded the DAISY Award-Kristin Bowan, RN and Nina Ketelsen, RN.

Both were nominated by patients and were visibly moved at receiving the award and hearing the nomination letters submitted.

“You were a perfect healthcare provider. You always said ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome,’ and when I never had to ask twice for anything,” read Bowan’s nomination letter. “Every nurse in the world should be half as good as Kristin is…I cannot imagine anyone that would not benefit learning excellent care as Kristen has demonstrated care towards me.”

Ketelsen’s nomination was quite lengthy from a husband whose wife received care for COVID. “Nina called me on my way to Mat-Su, to update me about a previously unknown heart complication that had arisen. Nina talked me through, calmed me down enough to make the rest of the drive safely,” the letter stated, describing anecdotes of Ketelsen’s interactions and care, even with a nursing student in tow, and providing a home-cooked meal after the couple celebrated an anniversary. “I watched Nina talk Linda through a day with MRSA, proning, and hallucinations all surfacing in 1 shift-Nina knew just the words and tone to help.”

When asked how she felt upon hearing her nomination letter, Ketelsen said:

“Just a natural conversation we had, being so far away from home you could hear the angst, it was just so rewarding to be that person for them.”

There were too many awards given and too many raucous rounds of applause and congratulations that can be listed here. Perhaps best summed up by Wallace: “Each staff member honored is well-deserved after navigating COVID along with the other injuries and illnesses that lead people to seek care at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, and Nurses’ Week and Hospital Month are a small way to recognize the work and care being done here.”