Rachel Kroemer (right) receives the DAISY Award® from NOC Nursing Division Chair Dr. Nikole Hicks (photo by Dina Kleinmann/NOC)
Rachel Kroemer earns NOC Nursing DAISY Award®
Northern Oklahoma College nursing faculty member Rachel Kroemer was honored with The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurse Educators at the NOC 2025 Nurses’ Pinning Ceremony Friday, May 2 at NOC Tonkawa.
The award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to express gratitude to nurses with programs that recognize them for the extraordinary, compassionate and skillful care they provide patients and families.
DAISY Award recognitions honor the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve, and throughout their careers – from Nursing Student through Lifetime Achievement in Nursing.
Rachel Kroemer received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Washburn University in 2011 and completed her Master of Science in Nursing Education from Fort Hays State University in 2023. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Theta Tau Honor Societies.
Kroemer started at NOC in January 2021 as a part-time clinical instructor moving into a full-time position in October 2021. She started Introduction to Nursing in Fall 2024, loves teaching students in Maternal Child and is the faculty advisor for Alpha Delta Nu Nursing Honor Society. Her favorite part about bedside nursing was teaching new Moms and Dads about their newborn and now she enjoys watching and helping students expand their skills and knowledge base as they begin their nursing career.
NOC Nursing Division Chair Dr. Nikole Hicks said, “Rachel Kroemer leads by example and strives for excellence in herself and in those around her. According to her nomination story, she makes learning feel real, and is the kind of instructor who wants you to succeed and works hard to make sure the material makes sense for everyone. She connects with students on a personal level, treats everyone with dignity, and encourages students to do the right thing, not the easy thing. She models excellence, integrity, and resourcefulness.”
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Educators was established by The DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 from Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), an auto-immune disease. The Barnes Family was awestruck by the clinical skills, caring and compassion of the nurses who cared for Patrick. They created this international award to demonstrate appreciation to faculty for their commitment and inspirational influence on their nursing students and to say thank you to nursing faculty everywhere.
NOC Nursing Division Chair Dr. Nikole Hicks said, “This year’s nominations all came from nursing students who wrote about how each nominee has had a life-changing impact through their tenure in Northern Nursing. It is so meaningful when students take the time to share these stories and so important for faculty to know how they are making a difference in students’ lives.”
Blind nominations for the award were submitted with a designated committee reviewing and ranking the nominees based on their commitment to student learning and success, utilizing personal interaction, providing rigorous instruction and innovative technologies, striving to provide high quality, accessible nursing education, and modeling the values of excellence, integrity, resourcefulness, impactful relationships, and compassionate service.
The winner was selected by the The DAISY Award® Selection Committee.
Semi-finalists include Kroemer, Elaine Briggs, and Brian Baird.
The winner in 2024 was NOC faculty member Dr. Marie Head.
More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
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