Nomination Letter

Written by Daniel Larkins, RN Clinical Supervisor, BrightStar Care Roseville 

This letter serves to nominate Karen Dubey RN, BSN, CCM, for the Nurse of the Year Award. Karen is an integral part of my clinical services team and I believe she is greatly deserving of this high honor. She currently works with BrightStar Roseville where we utilize all of her skills; she is an educator at heart, an example of a leader every day, and a wonderful giver of care in every way.  

Karen began her path toward becoming a registered nurse. In 1981, when she graduated with a medical assisting certification and worked with a podiatrist group. While there she prepared for the nursing program class after class. She once told me she did not know she did it all. I said, “Karen it’s because you are one of the hardest working people I know.” As a single working mother, she became an RN in June 1994. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the California State University in Sacramento. Throughout her career, she found that she also enjoyed educating patients and fellow caregivers. She has obtained her certification as a Case Manager and a License Public Health Nurse. Her passion has always been rooted in education and pediatric care. She joined the staff of BrightStar Roseville in February 2018 and proved her value three times over, so much that she was awarded the BrightStar Roseville Nurse of the Year for 2018. 

Karen works with some of our most challenging cases and provides a care that is above and beyond. One of Karen’s greatest strengths is her versatility. There is not an area of care we do here in the Roseville office she has not or would not be able to master. She is adept at wounds/ dressing changes, infusion cases, medication management, pediatrics, workman’s comp post-surgical cases, as well as a bevy of other skills. In addition, she has undertaken duties as a Clinical Care Transition Specialist in BrightStar Roseville’s new venture/ partnership with Option Care here in the Sacramento area.  

Not only is Karen the quintessential giver of care, she is also an amazing team player. She will drive out of the local area to cover a nurse who is on medical leave. She will undertake cases to alleviate the needs of others in their assignments. She is the one who I call on as my proxy when I, her clinical lead, am out on vacation or out of the office for an extended time. Her passion for the job and dedication to BrightStar succeeds none other on my team. 

BrightStar emphasizes the concept of “caring is more than just a job– it’s a way of life.” Karen not only personifies this in her practice but also serves as a promoter of this ideal to all she encounters. She is a true advocate of the vision of BrightStar Care. I have had clients tell me that not only is she a great nurse, but she tells them the great qualities about our company. She affirms BrightStar as a model of success in our community and advocates for us with other agencies and referral sources. It has always been an added pleasure to work with Karen when I hear from others that she speaks so well about BrightStar. 

Another quality of excellence that Karen exemplifies is her ability to share her knowledge with others. She often serves as an educator for newly hired nurses, training and checking competencies in the home. Bringing years of life and nursing experience to our education program, Karen is not only knowledgeable about all of the topics, but also relatable to every one of our CNAs and caregivers. One of our caregivers Gail said that Karen explains topics and makes them relatable, she “breaks it down,” and is “a very nice caring person.”  

There is not a task or a patient that is below Karen. She lovingly provides care from her heart. She is someone who meets people at their place of need. She is unflappable. I have seen her meet a problem that would take some people back. I’ve seen the look in her eye as the wheels turn in her head, searching for a way she can help solve a problem or a way she can personally make a patient’s experience better.  

In preparation of writing this recommendation, I spoke to some of Karen’s patients and patient families. One patient said, “She is the best nurse I have ever had!” This patient has infusions that took multiple hours over a couple of days. The patient talks about a time when she was not feeling very well, losing weight and could not eat. Karen not only provided the infusions needed on a regular schedule but took the time to help the patient create a suitable nutrition plan to meet her needs.  Karen understands patient centered care. According to the patient, Karen is “just amazing!!!”  

Another example of the accolades in which Karen has received comes from a family in which their child has Hunter’s syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. When I reached out to them to ask if they had any to share about Karen, they initially thought I was calling to say she couldn’t come back. The father said “NO don’t take her away; she is the best. She is always on time and is one of the only people that can do the job right.” I had to reassure him I wasn’t taking her away. This is understandable given the patient’s history of care. The last home health company that performed the infusions were unable to continue care because their nurses were unable to access the patient’s port-a-cath. With a history of being a clinically challenging case upon intake with BrightStar, the family was understandably concerned. Nevertheless, Karen took on this case. Her patience with the young client as well as her persistence and excellent technique allowed her to succeed in what others before her were unable and she has now been working with this client for almost 2 years.  

BrightStar Care’s motto is a “Higher Standard of Care.” I believe that Karen Dubey is the epitome of this sentiment.  Karen meets every challenge with care; she is a home health nurse through and through, a perceptive pupil, lover of learning, a talented teacher, a caregiver who cares, and one of the very brightest stars. We are lucky to have her here at BrightStar Care in Roseville California, and I am very proud to have her on my team.