It’s an honor to celebrate alongside the nursing community for Nurses Week 2018! We gave our partners the opportunity to nominate individuals within their organizations that go the extra mile and embody the mentality and traits that make a great nurse. We were overwhelmed by the number of submissions but have made the final cuts to establish our first annual ShiftWizard Nurses of the Year! These nurses displayed an exceptional hunger to learn and grow as a nurse, a natural tendency towards leadership and mentorship, and a steadfast dedication to the patients’ interests. Congratulations to our 2018 winners listed below (order not relevant):
Ashley Liotti, Resource Nurse for the OR, Elliot Health System
“I was immediately impressed by Ashley’s enthusiasm to learn and be challenged, her interest in being in the OR, and desire to grow personally and professionally. About 8 months ago, she made the transition to the position of Resource Nurse for the OR where she is now responsible for and a resource to 30+ staff at the Main OR at Elliot Hospital. She does an amazing job at encouraging staff, constantly promoting a positive work culture where staff have the ability to “Do the Right Thing” every day.” – Beverly Primeau, Vice President of Surgical and Procedural Services, Elliot Hospital
Bertha Moore, Director of Nursing, UNC Lenoir Health Care
“Bertha has worked at the hospital for many years in many different roles. She is currently a Director of Nursing and offers not only daily guidance and support for an entire family of nurses but serves as an expert clinical resource. Bertha has a knack for keeping the team calm and focused on patient care. I cannot even begin to quantify the number of times she says, “it’s about the patient”. It has been an absolute privilege for me to work and learn from Bertha. Her impact throughout the building is immeasurable.” – Laurel Molloy, CNO/Vice President Nursing/Therapy/PI Services, UNC Lenoir Health Care
Ed Keating, Clinical Project Manager, WakeMed Health & Hospitals System
“Ed is currently working on reducing catheter associated urinary tract infections and Central line infections. This is an extremely challenging role as it addresses the care across the continuum including many disciplines. In addition, these are often our sickest patients. He has initiated our ultrasound guided IV program which teaches the nurses this valuable skill which can reduce unsuccessful IV attempts in patients who, prior to this, were subjected to multiple painful IV attempts.” – Chantal Howard, Vice President Nursing, Raleigh Campus, WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Sally John, Charge Nurse on Psychiatric Unit, Swedish Covenant
“Sally demonstrates the true meaning of being a leader. I admire her diligence, dedication, and utmost concern for the unit and to this hospital as well. She takes extra work voluntarily and a is great team player.
Sally excels at multi-tasking in particular. In addition to managing the schedules for our unit, she provides mentorship and assistance to staff, making sure they are compliant with unit policies/regulations, and she is happy to step in and assist case managers with their work. She also served as the front-liner during our HFAP visit.” – Luzselenia Hernandez, Manager Nursing Office and Bed Placement, Swedish Covenant Hospital
Micky McDaniels, Director PSU, North Central Surgical Center
“Micky is a strong leader that is always looking for ways to improve internal operations and patient care. He introduced a continuing education program and shared governance and is actively engaged in helping the staff understand and engage in this process. Mickey’s leadership and the concepts he has introduced into our organization have improved team morale and cohesiveness.” – Kathy Williams, Associate Chief Nursing Officer
Rodrigo Apilado, Registered Nurse, Randolph Health
“Rodrigo pursues excellence daily and advances the nursing profession with pride and integrity. Not only does he invest in his professional development, he invests generously in the education and development of others. On any given day he is sponsoring more than 3 students that are not related to him within and outside of the United States in pursuing their educational dreams through personal financial funding for college.
Providers have the utmost confidence in Rodrigo’s clinical expertise. He is often complimented by patients and family members regarding the care that he provides and valuable information that he shares with them. This RN is passionate, focused and a valuable resource for all.” – Martica Craven, Director Medical Pediatric Surgical Services, Randolph Health
Rita Pope, Registered Nurse, Sampson Regional Medical Center
“Rita consistently goes above and beyond for her patients and their families. She is a shining example of the RN everyone wants to care for their loved one. She is a compassionate patient advocate. During my rounds and out in the community her name is consistently brought up as providing phenomenal care to her patients.” – Dianna Palacios, Director of ICU/Medical-Surgical Units, Sampson Regional Medical Center
Cara Wongnganmit, Manager Resource Team & Pediatrics, Deaconess Hospital
“Cara is an innovative leader and an exceptional talent at systems development while ensuring employee understanding and engagement. She has leveraged her skillset at Deaconess to implement new processes and optimizations within the ShiftWizard scheduling system. The entire staffing and resource team now has the ability to identify deficits, to better understand where we are staffed well, where we are not, etc. This has really helped make everyone be much more in tune with helping one another.” – Kathy Clodfelter, Executive Director, Deaconess Hospital
Read More:
5 Creative Solutions for the Nursing Shortage
Balancing Patient Care and Staff Management – A Nursing Leader’s Perspective
How to Keep Nursing Staff Motivated and Engaged
Nurse Recruitment & Retention Top List of CNO Concerns in 2018
