It is my pleasure to nominate Ronald Foster, RN, for The DAISY Nurse Leader Award. Mr. Foster’s commitment to fostering a culture of excellence as the Nurse Manager for the KCVA Surgical Clinics is exceptional. His unwavering dedication to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct has not gone unnoticed. Mr. Foster’s role modeling of extraordinary behavior has created an environment where compassion is valued, and trust and mutual respect thrive. His staff and colleagues look up to him as a source of integrity and compassion, and his influence extends far beyond the boundaries of our organization. Mr. Foster provides dignity and respect to everyone he serves and encounters. He actively listens to his staff when issues or concerns arise. He is transparent and consistent in his communication and is fair in consistent in his decision making.

He demonstrates integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence through his actions and encourages his team to do the same. He fully supports his direct care staff individually, and his wealth of experience and leadership help guide both staff and patients every day. Mr. Foster’s ability to motivate and inspire others with a shared vision and enthusiasm for achieving better outcomes are truly commendable. By leading by example, he has instilled a sense of purpose and dedication in his staff and colleagues. As a servant leader, Mr. Foster assists his front-line staff in staffing, provides patient education and triage and ensures critical supplies are obtained and maintained. Mr. Foster continuously strives for the highest quality of excellence. He encourages his team to set personal and professional goals in their practice for the betterment of themselves and their patients. He actively participates in the leadership development of his staff, while simultaneously engaging in activities to grow as a leader himself. He promotes teamwork and supports continued academic excellence and learning at all levels. He advocates for best practices for our VA communities, patients, families, and staff.

Furthermore, his efforts in promoting and enhancing the image of nursing within our organization and the profession have been invaluable. He is a strong advocate for nursing shared governance. He fully supported the initiation of the Gold Clinic Unit Practice Committee, ensures staff have time to conduct monthly meetings and provides guidance for the committee as needed. He is a supporter of the VHA High Reliability Organization (HRO) vision, advocating for safety within our health care system. He also conducts daily MESS huddles and weekly continuous process improvement (CPI) huddles, which allows space for staff to share their ideas and suggestions on how to improve care and other identified processes. From these huddles, ideas such as the initiation of a bariatric nurse VVC clinic were shared and, as a direct result, there was successful establishment of the clinic. He motivates staff with a shared vision and enthusiasm to achieve better outcomes for themselves and for their patients.

Mr. Foster’s leadership and dedication to excellence and service to all is an inspiration to his staff, colleagues, and our Veterans. He is a model example of our VA mission, our core ICARE values, and what it means to be a nurse. Ronald Foster, RN, is a true DAISY Nurse Leader.