UK HealthCare Nurses

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UK HealthCare Nurses

Every patient, every time. Make a difference! At UK HealthCare we are proud of our great nursing services.

Our creative leadership and quality initiatives in care, education and research are dedicated to the well-being of patients and their families. We look for the best and the brightest individuals who are articulate, tenacious, and passionate about patient-centered care. We intend to provide superior care and a superior experience for our patients and families. Our ambition as nursing professionals

is to evolve our practice to the level where each of us would be comfortable to bring our families, friends and others to receive the very best in nursing care.

07/24/2026

On July 16, University of Kentucky leadership, state leaders and Walsh Construction hosted a ceremonial “topping out” celebration for the new UK Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building.

Before the final beam was raised, hundreds of nurses, doctors, and other patient care providers and support staff had an opportunity to sign the beam – a visible reminder of just how many people are invested in the future of this building and in Kentucky.

The 550,000-square-foot facility will become the new home to the UK Markey Cancer Center, Kentucky’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as a Comprehensive Spine Center, ambulatory surgery space and other outpatient services.

Check out the video as the UK community celebrates this milestone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r2z9EF-B0s

07/23/2026

Angel Tauson, a registered nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital, discovered disc golf in 2020. In just a few years, she climbed up the Professional Disc Golf Association's (PDGA's) Global Master Series and is today ranked fourth globally in her class, "Female Amateur 55-59" (or FA55).

“Disc golf checks off so many boxes. It can be as much or as little as you want to make of it,” Tauson said. “I can compete, play with my friends, or enjoy a round by myself. It keeps me active, gets me outside to enjoy nature, gives me something to keep learning, I enjoy playing it and I love to take mini vacations to other courses in state or across the country.”

For readers who have never played, disc golf is structured like golf but played with a disc similar to a frisbee. Players compete on a course of 9 or 18 holes, teeing off from a tee pad and aiming at a target, which is a standing metal basket equipped with chains to catch the disc. There are about 170 disc golf courses in Kentucky, more than 11,000 courses across the country, and over 17,000 worldwide in nearly 100 countries.

Since she picked up the sport, Tauson has taken to it like a fish to water. She has competed in 108 PDGA-sanctioned competitions and earned first-place finishes in 79. One of her proudest moments was winning her division in the Ledgestone Open in 2025, leading to her being featured on a commemorative playing card.

“I’m on a playing card. That’s pretty awesome. The cards are hanging up in a few disc golf shops in town, Bang-a-Chain and Bomb Disc,” she said.

As her interest picked up, Tauson joined the Bluegrass Disc Golf Association (BDGA) in 2022. Today, she serves as BDGA secretary and information officer, helping to coordinate events and promote upcoming competitions on their social media pages.

Anyone interested in learning more about disc golf can visit www.bdga.org, Instagram or Facebook. As information officer, Tauson posts regularly about upcoming competitions, meetings and other resources.

“The BDGA is a great resource. It has allowed me to meet a bunch of people. It feels like a family, and everyone is a volunteer. They’re just people who love the game,” she said.

07/07/2026

UK faculty, staff, learners, alumni, donors and other stakeholders are invited to sign their name on the ceremonial steel beam for the UK Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building currently under construction.
Signing the beam offers a meaningful way to leave a mark of support, celebration and community as we reach a milestone in constructing the building and begin the next phase of advancing care for Kentuckians.

The beam will be available for all to sign on the Rose Street Loop during the following times:

July 8, 2026
Noon to 8 p.m.

July 9-10, 2026
7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The ceremonial beam will be put in place on July 16 during UK HealthCare’s Topping Out Ceremony.

“Topping out” is the construction term used to indicate that the final steel beam is being placed on the building. A topping out ceremony is a symbolic milestone that celebrates the building’s progress and the hard work put in by the construction and design teams.

The Rose Street Loop is located between the Charles T. Wethington Jr. Building and Pavilion H. Please bring your own markers. Large black sharpies are recommended.

06/26/2026

In May 2026, the Kentucky Organization of Nurse Leaders (KONL) recognized UK HealthCare’s Jeanette Sanders, DNP, RN, TCRN, with the KONL DAISY Nurse Leader of the Year Award.

Only previous DAISY Award recipients are eligible to be nominated for this prestigious award. Sanders, who serves as Patient Care Manager of UK’s Trauma/Surgical & Transplant Services, won the DAISY Award for her exceptional leadership and team building practices in 2023.

“I’m a firm believer that it doesn’t matter what your role is,” said Sanders. “You can make a difference in the lives of individuals and a difference to the organization. Everyone has a voice.”

KONL created the DAISY Nurse Leader of the Year Award to recognize the importance of nurse leaders throughout the state, particularly those who exemplify resilience and dedication.

Sanders is involved in numerous leadership roles. She is a member of the Society of Trauma Nurses, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the AONL. She also gives time to Eastern Kentucky University as an adjunct clinical professor.

Discussing her perspective on teambuilding, Sanders explained that it’s important to create a space for people to have a voice and an opportunity to contribute to the team. In KONL, she found likeminded nurses who were celebrating and advancing the profession.

“We are advocates, not only for our patients, but for ourselves as nurses,” said Sanders. “KONL is a starting point for me. It’s given me direction to get involved in this community and with leaders across the state. It’s inspired me to go further.”

This is the third annual KONL DAISY Nurse Leader of the Year Award. All nominations are blinded for fairness and reviewed by KONL’s DAISY Committee. For Sanders, the award was a welcome surprise.

“As nurses, we’re so used to giving. We’re the worst at receiving compliments,” she said. “I’m always thinking about how I can grow or improve as a leader. [The award] reminded me, ‘Yes, you’re doing it.’ I was very humbled and appreciative.”

06/22/2026

Sometimes, the smallest gestures can make the biggest difference.

When Melissa Mitchell, a nursing care technician at UK HealthCare’s Lucille P. Markey Cancer Center, noticed a patient struggling with self-image, she went the extra mile to listen and connect.

The patient expressed frustration over his physical appearance, especially the state of his grown-out hair. Mitchell spent the rest of her shift building a personal connection with the patient as she formulated a plan.

A former hair stylist, Mitchell went home and gathered her supplies. The next day, she returned, offering to give him a fresh haircut. One snip at a time, Mitchell restored the patient’s confidence and lifted his spirits during a difficult time.

Mitchell’s compassion, creativity, and dedication to excellent patient care exemplifies what it means to go above and beyond. For her impact, she has been recognized with a BEE Award, which honors team members who provide extraordinary support to patients and care teams.

“It made me tear up, because looking back, that really did mean a lot to him. I’m glad I was able to provide something – so small to me, but so much to him,” Mitchell said.

Please join us in congratulating Melissa Mitchell on this well-deserved recognition. Through moments of connection and compassion, UK HealthCare team members like Mitchell bring the power of advanced medicine to life for patients every day.

06/18/2026

The DAISY Awards celebrate nurses who take extraordinary steps to improve the hospital experience of patients and their families.
Emergency department nurse Shay Sheward, RN, was faced with such a moment last October, and she rose to the occasion with grace and empathy.

The situation began when a mother came into the ED accompanied by two young boys. The mother had been abused by her husband, and the older boy diffused the situation by calling 911 from his iPad.

“The older boy was very worked up, wondering if he did the right thing, and he was upset that he was going to miss a class trip to the pumpkin patch the next day," said Sheward. "I just felt so bad that he wouldn’t be able to experience something every kid his age should.”

Sheward leapt into action to provide the boy with a happy memory. She started asking around to see who could travel to a nearby grocery for pumpkins and carving kits.

“If the older boy couldn’t get that experience, at least he would have something positive from his time here, and he would know the hospital is a safe and friendly place,” she said.

Sheward and the other nurses found all the supplies needed for pumpkin carving and brought them to the boys while they waited in the ED. They even made gift bags with candy and small toys.

“They were so excited. The little one was just waking up, because it was something like five in the morning at this point. But you could tell the older boy was really appreciative to take everything home and get to carve a pumpkin,” said Sheward.

During a scary situation, Sheward showed two children that kindness can come from unexpected places. That quick thinking and empathy for patients and their families defines the spirit of the DAISY Awards.

06/16/2026

As a Fetal Care Nurse Navigator, Jacklyn Brewer, MSN, RN, AMB-BC, accompanies patients and their families as they navigate complex diagnoses during pregnancy.

“My role is to reduce the burden families feel as they try to understand and navigate a complex diagnosis for their child,” Brewer said. “I want families to know they have a consistent point of contact who will listen to their questions and concerns and help them get the information and answers they need.”

Brewer was recently recognized by UK HealthCare with a DAISY Award, honoring the compassionate care and clinical excellence she strives to bring to every case.

She was nominated a recent patient who shared how Brewer went above and beyond at each step – calling her a “lighthouse” for strength and courage throughout the pregnancy journey.

“For families I work with, a lot of times I meet them on their scariest day,” said Brewer. “I just want them to know that they have someone who's going to walk through that journey with them,” shared Brewer.

Please join us in congratulating Brewer on this recognition – a reflection of the power of advanced medicine delivered with individualized support.

06/08/2026

Congratulations to Brianna Godbey, RN, on the achievement of receiving a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The DAISY Award is a national award program dedicated to recognizing nurses who go above and beyond to provide compassionate care and demonstrate outstanding clinical skills.

Her nominator, a patient recovering amid a long stay in the hospital, shared that while they received the very best care at UK – it was ultimately an encounter with Godbey helped them to find the resolve to get well enough to go home.

“She helped me get cleaned up. She encouraged me to eat and to walk throughout the day. She continued to show up for me night after night. It was this experience with Nurse Bri that changed my mindset and the trajectory of my physical healing. She encouraged a new resolve,” the patient shared.

“It really made me feel empowered,” said Godbey. “To be that crutch for somebody when they were at their loneliest – and honestly, the worst day of their life. If anything, it was a privilege.”

Nurse Godbey truly emulates what the DAISY Award stands for: extraordinary compassion, clinical excellence, and the power of human connection in health care.

06/04/2026

UK HealthCare prides itself on going above and beyond to care for patients. Spring 2026 DAISY Award winner Haley North, RN, BSN, exemplifies that mindset.

For the last four years, North has served as a bone marrow transplant nurse in the Markey Cancer Center, making connections with patients and helping them on their worst days.

“I have a lot of background experience with cancer. I’ve lost people I love to cancer, and so I knew from a young age that this is what I wanted to do,” said North. “Getting a job on the bone marrow transplant unit was God’s gift. People come to us during the scariest times of their life, and I have the ability to make a difference in the way they perceive the coming days.”

North was nominated for a DAISY Award for the tremendous connection she made with an older woman suffering from advanced leukemia. Over multiple rounds of chemotherapy, North supported the patient, provided comfort to her family and prayed with her.

“I have been with so many special people during the hardest times of their lives. It’s humbling to be a safe space and someone they can turn to when they’re scared,” said North.

After multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, the patient is stable and enjoying time with her family. North’s support throughout this challenging ordeal was priceless.

“We bonded so much. I bonded with the whole family. It was a horrible situation, but she is very special,” she said. “For someone to take the time to nominate me, I just wanted to cry. I felt so overwhelmed because this truly is my life’s work. I love it so much.”

The DAISY Award is meant for stories like North’s. She built a powerful, long-lasting connection with a patient, making her health struggles just a little bit lighter.

06/03/2026

Please join us in congratulating 15 rising nurse leaders who recently completed UK HealthCare’s Leaders in Training (LIT) Program.

This six-month program equips nurses with the skills and knowledge needed to step into patient care management and first-level leadership roles.

“We look forward to seeing these graduates apply what they’ve learned as they continue to grow and lead within the profession,” said Sherri Dotson, DNP, RN, staff development specialist for UK HealthCare.

Congratulations to our 2025–26 LIT graduates – we’re proud of all you’ve accomplished.

Address

1000 S. Limestone
Lexington, KY
40536

Telephone

+18593235851

Website

http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/professionals/nursing/positions/

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