I have endless respect for Katie. She works harder than anyone I know, and she does it with a smile on her face. I am entirely sincere when I say she is a great leader and a great person. We are lucky to have her represent us. Katie Rinnus should be considered the gold standard for nurse management. She has the rare ability of being both a compassionate colleague and a firm leader. Her dedication to her staff is endless. It is commonly reflected upon by the nurses under her leadership how lucky we feel to have her as a manager. You’d be hard-pressed to find staff unwilling to stand in her corner. She advocates for her team constantly. When she cannot fix a situation, you can count on her being present to help in any way she can. She is always receptive to feedback and seeks out staff input. More than this, she seems to be on top of everything. How she keeps track of what seems like an endless list of responsibilities is mind-boggling. And yet you can rarely surprise her. Her discipline keeps the team on its toes, and her positive energy maintains morale. She checks every box with the 6 standards of respect. Katie puts her heart into this job. She creates the kind of safe and comfortable work environment that people often describe as the goal in nursing, but it is rarely a reality. She makes her team feel like they have a voice, and she is listening. She has established a culture where it’s safe to ask questions and ask for support. UMASS is fortunate to have someone with her dedication. The CARES values, including an emphasis on patient-centered care, easily apply to her work as well. She is present on the unit. With the amount of effort that she puts into making her staff comfortable, she still often finds time to connect with the patients, especially many of our long-stay patients. That, to me, is so impressive. The patients know her, and they respect her.

Working together for many years, I see her compassion every day, no matter what. I had a really hard time finding my way to Nursing. She supported me in so many ways, always making sure to check on me, helping me deal with my problems and challenges. I became a Nurse recently, and the most grateful feeling is knowing that she is there for me whenever I need her, someone I can trust, someone who walks by my side every step of the way. It is good to know I can count on a manager who can make things work around her. She has an extraordinary sense of empathy, always making sure of the well-being of her unit, always available to listen to any concerns from her team, and working hard to advocate for patient safety and employee concerns. She makes a significant difference in healthcare by influencing patient outcomes, team performance, and creating a good environment. Her capacity for listening amazes me; she really cares about her work family. She respects and supports each and every member of her team. Always making sure to keep quality care and equity present on a daily basis.

It is with great honor that I nominate Katie Rinnus for the DAISY Nurse Leader award. Katie creates an environment where her team thrives by fostering shared decision-making and autonomy. She supports the work of her unit-based council to drive clinical improvements to optimize clinical outcomes.
Katie is also the co-chair of our SAFER falls team and works tirelessly to eliminate falls from the clinical setting. She has advocated for bringing in new products to further enhance the toolkits of our caregivers. One example is the disposable shower mats. Her team identified that the floor in the shower area created a fall hazard, and Katie worked with the supply chain to trial a disposable shower mat to reduce the risk of a patient or caregiver slipping on water in the shower area.
Recently, one of Katie’s nurses escalated a clinical concern to her about a patient needing to undergo a coronary CT. This practice occurs at the University campus but is relatively new at the Memorial Campus. Katie pulled together an interprofessional team to develop a clinical practice guideline for the care of patients requiring this procedure. This truly reflects her passion for supporting her caregivers to ensure our patients receive the best care.
Katie is keenly aware of the challenges her team faces and is always supportive, whether that is through her wellness cart of goodies or a secure chat message. She leads with the needs of her team before her own. She truly embodies the attributes of a servant leader.
In conclusion, Katie is kind, dedicated to her team and our patients. It is a joy to work with her each day.