Galen Double Grad Honored with Daisy Award

Compassionate Care is woven into the very fibers of the Galen College of Nursing coursework. Few know this better than Katie Gamez.

The Texas native is a two-time Galen graduate, first pursuing her Vocational Nursing (VN) diploma before immediately moving on to her Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), graduating in 2024. Her Galen degrees helped lead to a role as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse at Methodist Hospital Stone Oak in San Antonio, Texas, and she was recently honored for her compassionate care with a Daisy Award from her colleagues at Stone Oak.

Going through three years of Galen schooling helped place the importance of compassionate care in Gamez’s professional career.

“Sometimes we get patients in there that are almost on their way out, and it’s very rewarding when they come back out of it,” Gamez said. “It’s also very rewarding when we provide comfort to those families for the ones that don’t make it. Most of the time when they’re in the ICU, they’re very sick and fighting for their lives.”

After working as a patient care technician (PCT) from her time in high school, and after raising her two children at home for a few years, Gamez decided to fully pursue a career in nursing over becoming a teacher.

“I thought it was more fulfilling, caring for people and advocating for them when they couldn’t,” Gamez said.

Galen’s four start times during the year and easy enrollment process made it an easy choice for Gamez, who began her nursing education in September 2021 at Galen’s San Antonio campus. And she was able to build on the experiences she had learned as a PCT, such as taking vitals and assisting patients with daily tasks.

Upon finishing her VN program, Gamez said it was a no-brainer to continue her education to pursue her associate’s degree with the Galen VN-to-ADN bridge program.

“It was a super easy transition,” Gamez said. “I already knew the program, the campus, I went from the VN program with my friends and we went right into the ADN program together. It never really crossed my mind (to go anywhere else). It was just so convenient.”

Now, taking advantage of HCA Healthcare’s tuition assistance program, Gamez is pursuing her third Galen degree, the Online RN-to-BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing). The program allows students to build on their nursing fundamentals with additional leadership, health, and evidence-based practice courses, preparing them to take bigger roles in care for their patients at their facilities.

Gamez provided great care this last May to both a patient in his final days and his family. According to the Daisy Award submission from Evan Walker, “what stood out most was the gentle, grounded presence she brought into the room. She treated my dad with respect and tenderness, speaking to him as if he were fully aware, explaining each step and making sure he was never just a patient.

“For me, Katie was the calm in the storm. She answered my questions without hesitation, gave me space to feel, and never made me feel like I was a burden. She knew when to step in and when to simply let me sit in silence with my dad.

“Her mix of professional skill and deep compassion made an impossible time feel a little more bearable. I’ll never forget how she helped us find peace in the middle of pain.”

In July, Gamez was honored for her Daisy Award, and was presented with a certificate from Stone Oak’s Chief Nursing Officer, Glenn Dennis MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, LSSGB.

“Methodist Hospital – Stone Oak is very proud of their very own Katie Gamez from Critical Care,” Dennis said in a statement. “Most recently, Katie was awarded the Daisy Award based on a nomination from one of her patient’s daughter. The patient’s daughter describes the manner and skill that Katie showed during the care of her father and herself. She gave examples of how Katie was not only extremely professional and skilled clinically, but how she was the ‘calm in the storm.’ The impact that Katie made in the clinical care of her father was admirable, but the way that she cared for the entire family compassionately was exceptional.”

Gamez said that when they were presenting the award, Dennis was reading out the type of care the nurse provided. Gamez said she thought to herself, ‘I hope I can be a nurse like that one day.’ Then, the spotlight was turned on her.

“When I found out it was me, it was amazing,” Gamez said. “I was so shocked (to win). I had no idea. Just reading what (Dennis) had said in front of all your colleagues, that was so nice.”

For students looking to equal, or exceed Gamez’s Galen degree count, she shared some helpful advice.

“I think just don’t give up. At the very beginning of (nursing school), it feels like so much, but if you keep going, it’s over before you know it,” Gamez said. “Even my BSN, I was telling myself, ‘Oh no, another year of school,’ but now I’m saying ‘there’s only a few months left’. And it’s so rewarding, what we get to do.

“(Nursing school) was intense, it was a full time job, but I loved it, I loved every minute of it. I still talk to some of the girls I went to nursing school with. I wouldn’t change anything honestly. If it’s hard it’s good, and you should learn something from that.”

Maintaining a focus as a single-purpose nursing college allows Galen to direct all its resources to providing high-quality, innovative programs to those who choose nursing as a career. Galen offers several paths including our: PN/VN diploma program, Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program, and 3-year Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing (BSN) program.

For those already in the nursing profession, Galen also offers an LPN/LVN to ADN Bridge program as well as an online master’s and doctorate degree programs.

If you’re an HCA Healthcare colleague, we have plenty of resources to help you get started, whether you are new to nursing or looking to advance your career.

We also encourage you to take advantage of Galen Direct, a priority support service that provides a direct and immediate connection to a dedicated enrollment specialist. Call 833.224.7703 or learn more.