Troy Nagar
March 2026
Troy
Nagar
,
BSN, RN
Inpatient Dialysis
The University of Kansas Health System
Kansas City
,
KS
United States
He maintained a calm, compassionate demeanor, engaging respectfully with the family and ministry representatives while ensuring the patient's wishes and beliefs were fully honored.
Troy exemplifies everything the DAISY Award represents. His combination of clinical excellence, calm leadership, and deeply compassionate care makes them a cornerstone of our team and a trusted advocate for the patients we serve. He brings his best to every shift, and one situation comes to mind that truly demonstrates the extraordinary nurse and human being he is.
A patient was admitted with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), a rare and life-threatening condition requiring emergent plasma apheresis. The urgency of the treatment alone was significant-but this case was even more complex. The patient, a Jehovah's Witness, held strong religious beliefs that prohibited the use of blood products. She also had critically low platelet counts, making traditional central line placement too dangerous. To further complicate the situation, the patient was confused, combative, and unable to cooperate fully.
Despite these extraordinary challenges, Troy rose to the occasion with a calm, confident presence that immediately reassured the team and the patient's loved ones. Drawing on his deep clinical expertise not only as a dialysis and apheresis nurse but also as a certified vascular access specialist, he initially placed two large-bore IVs and attempted to initiate treatment through them. When this access proved inadequate, Troy pivoted swiftly and skillfully to place a Powerwand midline catheter, a procedure not previously performed by our department. This bold, decisive action was both innovative and successful in allowing the treatment to progress.
Troy then remained at the patient's bedside for hours, meticulously carrying out the plasma exchange using albumin, all while managing the patient's restlessness and repeated attempts to interrupt the treatment. The emotions and tension of the situation were further intensified by the presence of multiple family members and ministry, all understandably concerned and anxious. Through it all, Troy demonstrated remarkable patience, cultural sensitivity, and professionalism. He maintained a calm, compassionate demeanor, engaging respectfully with the family and ministry representatives while ensuring the patient's wishes and beliefs were fully honored.
What stands out most is the trust he built with the patient, the family, the spiritual representatives, and the care team. He created a space where a frightened, disoriented patient could receive life-saving care without compromising her values. He treated her not just as a clinical case, but as a whole person with dignity, beliefs, and a voice-even when she was unable to fully express it herself.
This is just one of many moments when Troy has shown up not just as a nurse but as a healer, an advocate, and a steady presence in times of crisis. He is the kind of nurse we all hope to work alongside-and the one I would want to care for my loved ones or me. This nurse absolutely embodies the spirit of the DAISY Award, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving.
A patient was admitted with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), a rare and life-threatening condition requiring emergent plasma apheresis. The urgency of the treatment alone was significant-but this case was even more complex. The patient, a Jehovah's Witness, held strong religious beliefs that prohibited the use of blood products. She also had critically low platelet counts, making traditional central line placement too dangerous. To further complicate the situation, the patient was confused, combative, and unable to cooperate fully.
Despite these extraordinary challenges, Troy rose to the occasion with a calm, confident presence that immediately reassured the team and the patient's loved ones. Drawing on his deep clinical expertise not only as a dialysis and apheresis nurse but also as a certified vascular access specialist, he initially placed two large-bore IVs and attempted to initiate treatment through them. When this access proved inadequate, Troy pivoted swiftly and skillfully to place a Powerwand midline catheter, a procedure not previously performed by our department. This bold, decisive action was both innovative and successful in allowing the treatment to progress.
Troy then remained at the patient's bedside for hours, meticulously carrying out the plasma exchange using albumin, all while managing the patient's restlessness and repeated attempts to interrupt the treatment. The emotions and tension of the situation were further intensified by the presence of multiple family members and ministry, all understandably concerned and anxious. Through it all, Troy demonstrated remarkable patience, cultural sensitivity, and professionalism. He maintained a calm, compassionate demeanor, engaging respectfully with the family and ministry representatives while ensuring the patient's wishes and beliefs were fully honored.
What stands out most is the trust he built with the patient, the family, the spiritual representatives, and the care team. He created a space where a frightened, disoriented patient could receive life-saving care without compromising her values. He treated her not just as a clinical case, but as a whole person with dignity, beliefs, and a voice-even when she was unable to fully express it herself.
This is just one of many moments when Troy has shown up not just as a nurse but as a healer, an advocate, and a steady presence in times of crisis. He is the kind of nurse we all hope to work alongside-and the one I would want to care for my loved ones or me. This nurse absolutely embodies the spirit of the DAISY Award, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving.