Altru Nurse Makes a Difference For a Patient in a Car Accident

Grand Forks, N.D. - Kaitlyn Vagle, an RN in Altru’s Emergency Department, is being recognized with the Q2 of 2024 Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care nurses provide patients and families every day.  

An Altru paramedic nominated Kaitlyn after seeing her commitment to saving lives.  

Kaitlyn witnessed a car accident, while she was not working, but stopped to help.  

“She was the first healthcare provider on scene,” said Katilyn’s coworker. “When we arrived, she was holding C spine on the patient and was able to give me a report of what happened.”  

Katilyn then jumped into the ambulance to help the crew care for the patient all the way to the hospital.  

“Thanks to Kaitlyn, we reduced the time it took to provide care to the patient,” her coworker said. “We were able to deliver the patient in 15 minutes total, on par with a Level 1 trauma center. She made a real difference, even when she had no obligation to help.”

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known, but not uncommon, auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.