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"Her actions demonstrate absolute commitment." 

The Nursing Professional Governance Organization (NPGO) honors one UVA Health University Medical Center nurse leader each year with the DAISY Nurse Leader Award. At a presentation in January 2025, Heart and Vascular Center Administrator Karen Forsman and DAISY Award Committee Chair Crystal Richard, BSN, RN, CCRN, surprised Cardiac Catheterization Lab Nurse Manager Jennifer Killmer, MSN, RN, CCRN.

'Highlight of My Career!'

"I know that this surprise will be a highlight of my career — not just receiving the award, but the care and kind words my team gave me as they congratulated me!" Killmer tells Connect. "I am so proud to work on a team that not only recognizes excellence in teammates, but also puts the energy into celebrating that excellence! I got to be on the receiving end of that recognition/celebration this time, but I have seen them celebrate their peers and colleagues countless times over the years. It’s fun to be a leader to such an encouraging and uplifting group!"

Here are the nominations that earned Killmer the honor:

'True Testament' | Nominated by Amber Petrohovich, RN

"I have the honor and privilege of knowing and working with Jenn Killmer for many years. We first met at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Medical Center in the Cardiac Cath Lab as registered nurses. She showed great leadership skills when she took on the role as one of our charge nurses. She led the teams and doctors throughout the day — triaging patients based on acuity and urgency, communicating with many members of the different interdisciplinary teams, and running the day with the utmost efficiency. Jenn has said that she enjoys problem solving which highlights her problem-solving skills in her strategic leadership style.

"Jenn worked full-time while completing her master's degree in Nurse Leadership. Continuing to gain leadership experience, she became a clinical coordinator at VCU, assisting the nurse manager with management of team and resources to achieve a high level of standard for patient care.

"Jenn took on an intense project of leading the Cath Lab team through the transition of new computer charting. A project that required a great deal of responsibility and care. The academic facility changed from Cerner-based computer charting to Epic. Most change is often met with resistance and fear. It took a great deal of patience, educational/teaching skills, and creativity to set up her team for success. Her guidance and constant motivation provided learning opportunities and gradual introduction to the new system, and gave our team the tools and support it needed to be successful.

"Jenn became the nurse manager of the Cardiac Cath Lab at UVA Health in 2023. I started as an internal traveler eight months afterwards. The opportunity to work with Jenn again was an opportunity I was not going to pass up. I shadowed prior to my interview and was in awe of the team Jenn had assembled in just under a year. The respect, the teamwork, and the joy was palpable. I wanted to be a part of this team. The environment felt stable, nontoxic, and safe.

"During her time as nurse manager, she has transformed a team that was predominantly travelers, to full-time employees. Hiring five to six new hires and converting six travelers, including myself, to full-time employees. She exhibits what one looks for in a leader: compassion and empathy. One example was a recent issue regarding holiday call. She listened to the issues, thought about the best way to gather data, and came up with a survey. Everyone has the opportunity to use this tool to have their say and input their ideas. After gathering data, she will be able to take action, address issues, and implement a plan that is best for the unit and team.

"She sets standards and expectations for mutual respect, which empowers her team members to build positive relationships within the team. This a true testament to her exceptional leadership skills!"

'Great Strides' | Nominated by Dana Corriere, BSN, RN, RCIS

"Jenn on day one was walking around the lab speaking with team members, with a notebook in hand taking notes on various aspects for improvements for our lab. She also reached out to our administrators to identify inefficiencies.

"She gathered us in a small conference room, sat us down, and asked, 'What's working?' and 'What's not working?' Our entire lab started raising their hands and offering objective feedback.  After this discussion, the lab felt like they had a voiced some of the frustrations and concerns. Specific areas of improvement were identified, and Jenn created four Cultural Competency Workgroups. Team members depending on their personality strengths were divided equally into Patient Scheduling, Room Turnover, Staff Education, and Staff Orientation groups. These teams have worked together to develop strategic plans and implement changes to improve our work environment. These workgroups have been meeting quarterly for one and a half years and accomplished great strides.

"Educational Workgroup is implementing monthly dinner lectures provided by our highly educated interventional cardiologists and pediatric physicians and debriefing tools for high risk cases that went well or had a patient decompensate and how to implement change. They are encouraging team members and providing resources for them to become certified in RCIS and other relative certifications.

"The Orientation Workgroup has created a syllabus for new permanent team members and travel staff for both registered nurses and cardiovascular technicians. Jenn has onboarded 48 team members since January 2023. We are fully staffed at 35 team members and our orientation process is a minimum of 16 weeks. We implemented pre- and post- orientation exam to gauge the success of the new structured orientation process. We established easily accessible educational resources while orienting located on every computer in an app called One Note.

"The Room Turnover Workgroup established clear number of minutes goals for room turnovers in CORS, Structural, and Pediatric cases. Implemented encouraging team members to utilize the delay icons in Epic to track identifiable improvements between cases.

"The Patient Scheduling Workgroup is to improve the communication among multiple departments and to improve barriers to on-time start delays.

"It takes a village to get a patient from a clinic visit set up to have their coronaries injected with contrast in the lab. Not only has Jenn drastically improved our camaraderie in the lab and our union. The Cath Lab team now has lunch at one table. We share our downtime together as a unit instead of separate. We have been able to retain team members since Jenn started. We now are 100% permanent staff which has not been accomplished since 2018.

"Jenn holds us all to a higher standard of care. If she finds you are not acting to this standard, she professionally will have a discussion with you and develop a plan to improve your behavior. The Cath Lab has been recognized for rewards such as "Most Improved" and "UVA Health Patient Experience Award — Committed Compassionate Care" since Jenn started with us. Overall Jenn has transformed this lab into a great place to work."

'Unwavering Dedication' | Nominated by Donald Mitchell, MSN, RN, CNL, CNOR, RCIS

"I have worked with Jennifer in a previous nurse manager colleague role and now choosing to work for her directly in a clinical role in the Cath Lab. I have witnessed firsthand the exceptional leadership qualities, and unwavering dedication that she exhibits on a daily basis.

"Jennifer has created a culture of compassion, collaboration, and professionalism among our nursing team. She leads by example, consistently demonstrating integrity and accountability in all aspects of her work. Through her mentorship and guidance, many team members have flourished — advancing their skills and confidence in providing exceptional patient care to cardiovascular patients.

"One of her most commendable qualities is her ability to inspire and empower others. She prioritizes team engagement and fosters an environment where every team member feels valued. This inclusive approach has resulted in improved teamwork, higher morale, and decreased turnover rates. Jennifer's open door policy ensures team members can voice concerns and seek guidance — creating a supportive atmosphere that promotes professional and personal growth.

"Jennifer consistently advocates for patient-centered care, ensuring needs and preferences of patients are at the forefront of our practice. Her commitment to education and training has led to a more knowledgeable nursing team, which in turn leads to higher quality patient care and team member retention, as well as improved outcomes.

"Jennifer is highly regarded by patients and their families. She approaches each patient interaction with empathy and compassion, ensuring care is tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual. I have personally witnessed Jennifer providing food vouchers to a patient's family that arrived early to the hospital for a transcatheter aortic valve replacement. This family member had been skipping their glucose medication as well as morning nourishment related to a personal financial need. Jennifer never hesitates to go above and beyond for our patients to provide medical care and to support the patient's total well-being. This commitment has made a profound impact on the patient experience and reinforces the principles of patient-centered care.

"Jennifer is a nurse manager who remains visual and accessible to all her team members. She is seen daily participating in our 0700 morning huddles to discuss previous day outcomes, issues, and concerns. She also reviews the current day's schedule with her nursing team, interventional cardiologist (IC), IC fellows, nurse practitioners, and scheduling team members. Jennifer is a nurse manager who not only knows the managerial process well, but can also perform the daily duties of a Cath Lab nurse to care for patients if needed.

"When I decided to leave management and re-join the clinical nurse role, I searched for a manager that would not only support my clinical ability but one that would allow me to practice at the height of my clinical licensure. Jennifer is a nurse manager who never says, "We cannot do that" but will express, "How can we accomplish this to improve our Cardiovascular Center of Excellence and how can I support you in reaching this goal?" Jennifer is a nurse manager I see moving up into the administrative pathway at a rapid rate.

"Her exemplary leadership, dedication to nursing excellence, and commitment to fostering a positive work environment make her a deserving candidate for this honor. I truly believe that recognizing Jennifer with the DAISY Nurse Leadership Award will not only celebrate her extraordinary contributions but will also inspire others within our organization to strive for excellence in their nursing practice."

Seeing the Individual | Nominated by Glenn Stephens, RN

"I came to UVA Health's Cath Lab as an internal travel nurse in August 2023. Working under Jenn's management for the duration of my travel contracts instilled a desire in me to take a full-time position in the lab. I was astounded that the majority of team members actually attended team meetings every month. Even more impressive was Jenn's organized PowerPoint showing data and statistics and topics that pertained to our lab and the individual efforts we all put forth. Jenn's previous experience working in the Cath Lab as a nurse, and her skills of problem solving alongside clear communication, have made her an excellent manager for our lab and brought much needed change.

"It is not an exaggeration that Jenn is the main reason I took a full-time position in our Cath Lab. What distinguishes Jenn from other managers is her ability to see the individual and meet their needs with kindness and fairness, while also seeking and maintaining the good of the lab as a whole. There have been many team members, myself included, who have had emergencies and Jenn has always been willing to work with us, and she has done so with a posture of generosity and concern for our individual well-being. When I had to respond to a family emergency over a weekend, Jenn made sure I had the time off I needed and even took the time to check in on me over the next few days.

"When she is able, she makes the rounds through all the labs to check in on us, taking the time to ask how we're doing and genuinely showing interest in knowing us. She is quick to laugh and lighten the mood. She is simultaneously not afraid to have hard conversations. Jenn will communicate the truth even if it's difficult to hear and she does so in such a way that is respectful to the listener. Jenn invites feedback and is always striving to make the lab a better place to work. This can be seen in monthly team meetings, her tedious work to make the schedule as fair as possible, her attentiveness to help the lab grow in efficiency, her reliable physical presence at the hospital, and her quickness to respond to emails and texts if she is not available in person.

"A recent example of how Jenn advocates for her team was when we had a patient on hold in a procedure room because the recovery area was not available. She could have done nothing and just let us wait hours until something happened, but she physically came down to the lab and walked over to the recovery area to assess the situation and came to a solution that would be best for all parties involved.

"Jenn has made me want to be a better nurse and push myself to grow in my professional life. She is the kind of person I want to work under for the long haul — someone who sets high standards, who will go to bat for team members when necessary, and who seeks the good of each individual which in turn makes the whole lab flourish."

All In! | Nominated by Joe Stroud,RN

"Jennifer Killmer is a standout for three reasons in particular: her genuine interest in the development of her team members, her unique and effective leadership style, and her outstanding gift for recruiting.

"I came to UVA Health as a traveler who had no interest in converting to a permanent position at the time. However, Jennifer made it a habit of taking time to both challenge and encourage me, and as a traveler I was caught off guard by that level of interest in my potential. She took time to press me on my reluctance to pursue the education necessary to develop me further as a registered nurse by helping me identify obstacles and work out solutions to them. She also helped me visualize growing out of my current role into roles with greater spheres of influence and professional reward. This was a major contributing factor to me extending my contract here at UVA Health three consecutive times — and ultimately converting to a full-time employee!

"The second is her dynamic leadership. She seems to effortlessly flow from writing personal cards of appreciation and recognition for jobs done well to clear, unapologetic identification and calls for correction of behaviors or processes that are not done well. She does not struggle with the need to pad counsel with platitudes or equivocation in order to not communicate personal attack or condescension. Neither does she approach issues with personal fault as the first suspect, but instead works collaboratively with team members to identify and resolve deficiencies in systems and processes. I have also been both witness and beneficiary of her willingness to go the extra mile to make this lab as flexible an environment as possible, allowing for greater work/life balance and accommodation for the unpredictability of the real lives of almost 30 team members.

"The first two outstanding factors of Jennifer's leadership clearly feed the success of her third: recruiting. As of this writing, I can name seven current team members who, like me, came here as travelers and have opted to stay. Unless I am mistaken, at least fifty percent of our team drives from 45 minutes to an hour and a half to work here.

"Jennifer is 'all in' regarding both the success of the Cath Lab and UVA Health as an institution, as well as the individual personal and professional growth of each and every team member under her watch. Her personal attentiveness to her team, outstanding leadership, and effective recruiting will continue to fuel that success."

Open Door | Nominated by Justin Schaefer, BS R.T.(R)(CI)(ARRT)

"Jenn is not just a great boss, but a wonderful leader. Jenn is someone who has consistently had our backs since she arrived, in and out of the lab setting. She quickly showed her desire to help apply the changes the department needed to get us out of critical staffing levels ... to fully staffed.  While engaging with the team, she promised to do her best to be fair and transparent, which she has stuck to. Despite her administrative managerial duties and the managing a unit of about 40, she still finds the time to have her door open to her team for one-on-one interpersonal meetings. 

"I wanted to give a recent clinical and professional event that depicts who Jenn is as a leader. We had an inpatient who was in tamponade and in need of an emergent pericardiocentesis. Jenn arrived to the lab and promptly went to the control room to be an available resource.  Within minutes, we were in a full code situation with various departments arriving to give emergent aid. Jenn assisted with answering questions, fielding phone calls, offering support to the nurse monitor in the control room, and managing traffic control. Jenn's presence in these moments offers aid and confidence to her team. 

"Prior to Jenn arriving at UVA Health, the Cath Lab didn't have a technologist career ladder. For six to eight months prior, I had been working on trying to organize a workgroup and trying to figure out this goal. She and I met to discuss the ladder.  A group of management and technologists from both Cath and EP began to meet and brainstorm the process of a career ladder for Interventional Cardiology. Jenn setup the meetings, acted as a sounding board, and took notes. Our group of technologists was able to create a tiered clinical ladder for all of Invasive Cardiology.  Jenn was a driving force in advising, executing, and technical editing of the clinical ladder. We also created a new job description and job title to accompany the new career ladder, known as a Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist. As someone who has now climbed the ladder to a level 3, I can attest to how much she put into the planning."

'Well-Oiled Machine' | Nominated by Pearl Banks, BSN, RN, CCRN

"I have been welcomed by all, and I have felt more than supported to throughout my orientation process and beyond. Through her timely e-mail responses, open door policy, provisions for Cath Lab specific educational resources, and her daily presence at morning huddles with the team — Jenn shows the team that she cares and she wants each of us to succeed. 

"During my orientation, Jenn followed up with me each week to see what things were going well, what things might not be going so well, and to identify any needs. Jenn is a very clear and effective communicator who is able to rally the team and engage them to actively participate in processes. She allows our team members to spearhead different projects throughout the lab through workgroups that she created to encourage team engagement.

"Jenn encourages her team to be actively involved on the unit, and she takes that time to recognize us all for our contributions to the team.  Her acts of kindness, such as thank you notes left in your locker, e-mails offering positive feedback, or small goodie bags from to time boost team morale and promotes a positive working environment. 

"She puts the needs of our patients at the forefront of everything and works hard to instill those same values in her team to achieve and maintain high quality care and a safe environment for all. Jenn makes it a priority to address any negative situations or patient outcomes where there may be room for performance improvements or learning opportunities. She encourages open and respectful communication amongst the team and the physicians, and she works to address any issues in a timely manner. Jenn keeps her team up to date on the latest evidenced based practices for our area and I've always felt as though she keeps us in the loop with changes in practices throughout the medical center as they come about. 

"Having come from a management background myself, I have been very impressed with Jenn's leadership style. Joining the UVA Cath Lab has been one of the best decisions that I have made, and I can tell you for sure that Jenn is the main reason that this Cath Lab runs like a well-oiled machine. I commute to work from the Lynchburg area four days a week, which some may say is crazy, but the reward of actually enjoying your workplace and the people you work with on a daily basis outweighs the cons of the drive." 

Getting in the Trenches | Nominated by Emily Shifflett,  R.T.(R)(CV)(ARRT)

"I am the supervisor Imaging technologist in the UVA Health Cath Lab and report directly to Jennifer. I have worked in the Cath Lab for more than 26 years.

"Jennifer brings strong assets to her role, and our group is incredibly fortunate to have her as our manager. She is amazing at maintaining open lines of communication with all team members, helping to keep everyone informed and on the same page. For example, she meets weekly with every new hire and their preceptors during their orientation phase to check in and encourage each team member to strive for their best. She also communicates their weekly plan clearly and directly to the shift managers so everyone can know and participate in the onboarding of all new team members.

"Another quality that I have observed is Jennifer's willingness to tackle the difficult conversations upfront and in the moment. By doing this she has demonstrated to our team that she is willing to get in the trenches with us and for us. Her considerate, friendly, and honest nature are qualities that make her a natural leader. It is a testament to her dedication that she has established a renewed and reinvigorated spirit of collaboration and cooperation. Jennifer has been able to rebuild our staffing back to pre-Covid levels and with excellence."

'Poise and Resolve' | Nominated by Jason Maddox, MSN, RN

"Jennifer's ability to build a team effectively and efficiently is on display. In a short time, she has effectively recruited skilled, tenured team members into her department obviating the need for contract labor staff. The work done to create a culture of support and learning have been the keys to recruiting and retention success. The department is well organized to take in new team members, train them systematically, and exercise bi-directional feedback to engage and support the new team member.

"I would additionally recognize her and the service line's strategic approach to operational expansion. Team expansion through proactive hiring is such a positive move. As service locations grow (additional procedure rooms) — having team members present and trained on day one immediately optimizes the additional locations for patients and providers.

"Jennifer has a knack for identifying the unique interests and skills of her team. She draws them into a shared governance — really a shared leadership — model whereby their skills and abilities are carefully matched with department needs and strategy. It is so inspiring working with engaged frontline clinicians influential in promoting and shaping the operations of their department. Jennifer serves as an advocate and catalyst between organizational resources and her to team to selflessly promote patient safety and quality outcomes.

"Poise and resolve as a leader are important characteristics. The inception of the pandemic challenged healthcare with scarcities in various forms disrupting day-to-day operations. While much of the recent past has resolved, we continue to face occasional obstacles (supply backorders, intravenous fluid shortages, etc.). She has been ever present and effectively communicated on-going status and plans. This is strong work. Teams look to and take cues from their leaders. Her actions demonstrate absolute commitment to the patients of UVA Health, her department, and her team. All share confidence that she is part of a team developing well thought, effective plans that will see UVA Health continue to be a national leader in healthcare delivery.

"I am personally grateful to have been offered the opportunity to be part a department with a culture of learning, support, and balance established by Jennifer and the Cath Lab."

Know a Fabulous Nurse Leader?
"DAISY" stands for "Diseases Attacking the Immune System." The DAISY Award was established by The DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of only 33 of an autoimmune disease. The Barnes Family was awestruck by the clinical skills, caring, and compassion of his nurses, so they created this national award to thank nurses everywhere.

At UVA Health University Medical Center — patients or their families, visitors, and team members may submit a DAISY Award nomination.