Kaitlyn D. Augeson
January 2025
Kaitlyn D.
Augeson
,
RN
ENT/Oral/Opthalmology/Urology
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester
,
MN
United States
Kaitlyn made sure his hands were untucked so that the family could hold his hands for the last time. The attention to detail while being there for the family is something that makes you really consider how special these moments and our nurses are.
I’m nominating Kaitlyn Augeson for The DAISY Award for one big moment and all the little moments. We all know when we sign up to be a nurse, it’s possible that you could be one of the last people a patient sees on this Earth. We all know when we sign up that postmortem care may be in the cards, but we truly hope it’ll never ever happen.
To paint the picture, it was a holiday weekend. Kaitlyn’s patient passed away during the night shift. What she and our other coworker did for this patient and their family was nothing short of beautiful and something I will remember for the rest of my life. To me, it’s one thing to have compassion for the living and fight hard to keep their pulses going. It’s another deeper kind of love and respect to care for someone who has passed away. Not only did she and another colleague get this patient cleaned up, but they also combed his hair. They rested his arms. They gave the family time and space and the support they needed.
Everyone always talks about holding someone’s hand when they go or sitting by someone’s side to hold their hand when they’re having a hard moment. Kaitlyn made sure his hands were untucked so that the family could hold his hands for the last time. The attention to detail while being there for the family is something that makes you really consider how special these moments and our nurses are. Though she was well asleep late in the morning after a very long shift, I wish Kaitlyn could have been there a few hours later when the family came out of the patient’s room. They came up and thanked every single nursing staff member they came across as their family member was being wheeled out. That kind of thank you comes from deep in the soul and that is a moment in their lives they will never forget and neither will I.
On many other occasions, Kaitlyn has had my back, as well as others. She puts her hair up, puts on her figurative “warrior paint,” and gets the job done. I have seen her experience some of the messiest situations, and she comes back for more. She’s not the kind of person who makes a big deal out of helping you. But she will do some of your absolute dirtiest work. Additionally, she’s the kind of person you know if you had the worst day ever; her humor would make you nearly cry from laughing. She’s someone who is always in the background and isn’t the head honcho, and because of that, she’s not recognized like she should be. Kaitlyn is the person you look forward to seeing when you see their name in a box above yours on the schedule. Kaitlyn takes no BS, and quite frankly, she has made me a better nurse for the care I have given people when they need tougher love. You would NEVER know that she’s only been on this unit for 1 year. She runs this place like she’s been here for more than 5 years. She’s got character. She doesn’t sugarcoat. She gets the job done. I, as well as her patients, deserve the level of honesty she provides.
Someday, if I have kids, I hope they will be like her. I hope my kids someday have the level of respect and heart it takes to untuck a man’s hand on his death bed for his family to hold and to still come to work the next night. I hope someday my kids will be bold like Kaitlyn in all the times she stands up for all of us and what her patients really need. And someday, when it’s my time, I hope I have a nurse like Kaitlyn who will treat me with dignity when my light is finally out, too. I’ll full-heartedly admit that I cried writing this note, knowing how honored I am to call this person my coworker. When you ask me where I work, I’ll tell you about the people on this unit. And it’s people like Kaitlyn who are the backbone of this hospital and who are strong individuals with courage, integrity, and compassion. She is the eye of the tiger, and she has true grit. She deserves every single word of praise I have written and more.
To paint the picture, it was a holiday weekend. Kaitlyn’s patient passed away during the night shift. What she and our other coworker did for this patient and their family was nothing short of beautiful and something I will remember for the rest of my life. To me, it’s one thing to have compassion for the living and fight hard to keep their pulses going. It’s another deeper kind of love and respect to care for someone who has passed away. Not only did she and another colleague get this patient cleaned up, but they also combed his hair. They rested his arms. They gave the family time and space and the support they needed.
Everyone always talks about holding someone’s hand when they go or sitting by someone’s side to hold their hand when they’re having a hard moment. Kaitlyn made sure his hands were untucked so that the family could hold his hands for the last time. The attention to detail while being there for the family is something that makes you really consider how special these moments and our nurses are. Though she was well asleep late in the morning after a very long shift, I wish Kaitlyn could have been there a few hours later when the family came out of the patient’s room. They came up and thanked every single nursing staff member they came across as their family member was being wheeled out. That kind of thank you comes from deep in the soul and that is a moment in their lives they will never forget and neither will I.
On many other occasions, Kaitlyn has had my back, as well as others. She puts her hair up, puts on her figurative “warrior paint,” and gets the job done. I have seen her experience some of the messiest situations, and she comes back for more. She’s not the kind of person who makes a big deal out of helping you. But she will do some of your absolute dirtiest work. Additionally, she’s the kind of person you know if you had the worst day ever; her humor would make you nearly cry from laughing. She’s someone who is always in the background and isn’t the head honcho, and because of that, she’s not recognized like she should be. Kaitlyn is the person you look forward to seeing when you see their name in a box above yours on the schedule. Kaitlyn takes no BS, and quite frankly, she has made me a better nurse for the care I have given people when they need tougher love. You would NEVER know that she’s only been on this unit for 1 year. She runs this place like she’s been here for more than 5 years. She’s got character. She doesn’t sugarcoat. She gets the job done. I, as well as her patients, deserve the level of honesty she provides.
Someday, if I have kids, I hope they will be like her. I hope my kids someday have the level of respect and heart it takes to untuck a man’s hand on his death bed for his family to hold and to still come to work the next night. I hope someday my kids will be bold like Kaitlyn in all the times she stands up for all of us and what her patients really need. And someday, when it’s my time, I hope I have a nurse like Kaitlyn who will treat me with dignity when my light is finally out, too. I’ll full-heartedly admit that I cried writing this note, knowing how honored I am to call this person my coworker. When you ask me where I work, I’ll tell you about the people on this unit. And it’s people like Kaitlyn who are the backbone of this hospital and who are strong individuals with courage, integrity, and compassion. She is the eye of the tiger, and she has true grit. She deserves every single word of praise I have written and more.