Kristen Portale Honored as North DAISY Winner

Congratulations Kristen Portale, also known as KP, RN, for winning a North DAISY Award!

KP was nominated by a coworker.

The coworker said the first time they met KP she had been pulled from Neuro ICU to work in 3S Stepdown to take patients and train them on a unit she doesn’t usually work on.

“She ran right up to me with a HUGE smile and was so warm and genuinely excited to meet me and be there! She was energetic, funny, and she made me feel like we had known each other for years within that first hour of our shift,” said the coworker.

The coworker described KP as knowledgeable, kind, and hilarious. They said this night was one of the best nights they’ve ever had!

There was a time the coworker overheard KP talking with RN residents she was precepting. KP said,” You give them grace. Always give them grace. The aggressive patient, the argumentative family member, the not so friendly co worker, you give them grace.”

The coworker said they stood there in the hallway outside the room stunned. This is what she is teaching to the new nurses – kindness and understanding, hard work and dedication, but most of all, “grace.”

“She is the whole package and the world wouldn’t be the same without her. She treats her patients like family and even brings a backpack full of things for comfort for her patients. She has a sound machine that I’ve seen her place at the bedside, individually wrapped hair brushes she pays out of pocket for patients, detangler spray, different dry deodorants for men and women, hair ties, suckers for certain patients who throats may be sore from intubation after surgery, affirmation cards, night lights, a portable fan, reading materials and the list goes on!”

When KP was asked why she does this, she explained that these patients and family members are having their worst day. Something scary has happened unexpectedly and has changed their lives. “Anything at all that I can do to give them some comfort and help them heal means so much to me.”