Barton Health Nurse Recognized for Exceptional Care

Kyle McDougal, RN Recognized with The DAISY Award

(South Lake Tahoe, CA) – Kyle McDougal, registered nurse (RN) with Barton’s Medical/Surgical - Orthopedics Unit, was selected as a recipient of The DAISY Award for extraordinary nurses. The award is in recognition of the clinical skill and compassionate care nurses provide to create a superior experience for patients and their families.

McDougal was nominated by Benjamin Schaeffer, whose nomination includes, “I spent one month in the hospital and Kyle was my nurse several times. I felt a connection with him immediately and was always so happy to see him. His bedside manner was amazing; he was warm, thoughtful, attentive, and compassionate. We’re both mountain bikers. We would talk about riding and bikes, and I got to take my mind off of things for a while.”

Medical/Surgical nurses are responsible for providing specialized care to patients admitted to the hospital. In close collaboration with doctors and surgeons, they perform a wide array of duties including assessments, administering medications, wound care, monitoring post-operative recovery, and providing education and support for the patient and family members.

McDougal joined Barton Health as part of its New Graduate Nurse Residency Program, an engaging, year-long initiative designed to support new graduate nurses as they transition into professional practice. This interactive program pairs recent graduates with trained and certified preceptors, fostering critical decision-making skills and effective communication. By emphasizing hands-on experience, it prepares nurses to deliver high-quality, safe patient care in a hospital setting.

Nurses may be nominated by patients and their families along with other staff and physicians, and the award recipient is chosen anonymously by a committee at Barton Health. As a winner of The DAISY Award, McDougal received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Awards are presented quarterly at celebrations often attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died in 1999 at age 33 from complications of an autoimmune disease (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System). The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses.

To learn more and nominate a nurse for The DAISY Award, visit BartonHealth.org/Daisy.