Elizabeth Spradlin, MSN, RN, TCRN

For more than two decades, Elizabeth has dedicated her career to removing barriers that prevent nurses from delivering exceptional care. She began her journey as a patient care assistant before becoming an ICU nurse, trauma program manager, director of nursing innovations and outcomes, and mentor. She served our country in the National Guard, including deployment to Iraq. Every step of her career reflects the same calling: to serve others with humility, integrity, and compassion. Servant leadership is evident in everything she does.
Some of Elizabeth's most significant contributions include leading UCHealth's work around workplace violence prevention and patient elopement. These situations require teams to balance patient rights, safety, legal requirements, and clinical judgment, often within moments. Rather than accepting uncertainty as inevitable, Elizabeth brought people together.
She united nursing, physicians, behavioral health, legal, regulatory, quality, educators, professional development, and security around a shared vision for safer, more consistent care. She listened to frontline teams, understood where they struggled, and transformed their feedback into standardized education, practical tools, and clear workflows that now provide confidence during some of healthcare's most difficult moments.
Because of her leadership, nurses, physicians, and security are no longer left asking, "What should I do?" They have clear guidance, shared expectations, and confidence to care for vulnerable patients while preserving dignity and rights.
Her impact extends far beyond UCHealth. The strength of her work has been recognized nationally through CoPIC's adoption of elements of the program as best practice, demonstrating that nurse-led innovation can influence healthcare well beyond a single organization.
She led Memorial North to Level III Trauma designation, championed workplace violence prevention throughout the South Region and across UCHealth, co-authored nationally published work on workplace violence prevention, presented at professional conferences, supported Magnet designation efforts, served as Executive Sponsor for the Engagement Council, mentored nurses and nurse leaders, and continues to guide complex organizational change with steadiness and grace.
Dr. Keyan Riley, UCHealth Memorial North Trauma Director, stated that one of her greatest strengths is her ability to maintain close working relationships with the physicians and nurses in the program. She's forward-thinking in advocating for change within our program. Memorial North became verified by the American College of Surgeons, a first for any Level III facility in Colorado Springs, and the first UCHealth Level III facility to participate in the national TQIP benchmark program for Trauma programs.
What distinguishes Elizabeth most is not her impressive accomplishments, but how she achieves them. She leads by listening before speaking. She genuinely seeks frontline perspectives and ensures nurses feel heard, respected, and supported. She holds others accountable without diminishing them. She gives credit freely, shares success generously, and quietly builds trust across disciplines. Whether mentoring a manager, recognizing a bedside nurse, or navigating competing priorities among executive leaders, Elizabeth consistently chooses collaboration over ego and service over recognition.
She embodies UCHealth's mission to improve lives through innovation, discovery, and countless human connections that strengthen caregivers and improve the care they provide every day. Elizabeth leaves every system stronger than she found it, every team more connected, and every nurse more confident. Elizabeth Spradlin is profoundly deserving of the DAISY Nurse Leader Award.