A young nurse was honored for her care Thursday afternoon at Guthrie County Hospital’s second annual DAISY Award reception. Katelyn Thompson was chosen among the six nominees to receive the award.

The registered nurse, who received two nominating letters from members of the community, was surprised to receive the award. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio what encouraged her to pursue a career in nursing. “When my grandma was in the hospital, back when I was in high school, just seeing how the nurses cared for her, I wanted to be one.”

The reception began with a brief background on the DAISY Foundation and their mission to recognize extraordinary nurses. Before the nominees were announced, the hospital revealed that their nursing department has 1,033 years of nursing experience, which is an average of just over 19 years per nurse.

Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Marcia Roenfeld also expressed a few words during the ceremony. She referred to nurses as the doctors’ eyes and ears and shared an acronym to sum up a nurse’s role in the hospital: NURSE, which stands for Nurturing, Urgency, Ready, Servants Heart, and Empathy.

Thompson received a plaque, yellow bouquet of daisies, special pin, and the “Healers Touch” statue. A banner commemorating the honor and signed by Thompson will also hang in her department. The other nominees include: Christine Drake, Sherry Eddy, Audrey Franzen, Carol Laughery, and Merlin Long.

DAISY Foundation Information: https://www.daisyfoundation.org/