2008 Nurse Exemplar Award Winners
In a profession in which education, dedication and compassion are critical, honoring just a few individuals can be a real challenge. But this year, John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital recognized 13 co-workers for their outstanding achievements at the annual Nurse Exemplar Awards, held in conjunction with National Nurses Week.
Dozens of nurses, physicians and patient care staff gathered in the hospital lobby on May 7 as the winners were announced and presented with Nurse Exemplar awards. Join us in congratulating our co-workers and thanking them for their leadership and commitment to excellence.
Barbara Brewer, Winner for Advancing the Profession
Without Barbara’s continual effort and expertise, North Mountain wouldn't have presented an Evidence Based Practice project to ASU. Evidence Based Practice would be just a phrase, and the excitement of the fellowship wouldn't exist.
Donna Monge, Winner for Clinical Care
Donna has been crucial in the implementation of the D2B (door to balloon) from ED to Cath Lab. She also is involved in assisting with the Chest Pain Accreditation for North Mountain. She initiated the slogan "SAFE," which stands for S=see A=armband F=first E=every time. This slogan has been incorporated into John C. Lincoln's "Red Rules."
Janet Snodgrass, Winner for Community Service
Janet has volunteered at the Clinic Mission of Mercy for more than a year and has done so without any expectation of recognition. She also volunteers for clinical days and does blood pressure and health checks for the surrounding community. She does all of this noteworthy service while working full time and raising her family.
Linda Worthy, Winner for Leadership
Linda models grace under fire. She is a calm, rational, yet relentless, problem solver. Her activities in the community, particularly in the first responder group, have helped John C. Lincoln achieve an outstanding level of recognition. At the state level, she is considered a leader in her field, advancing the trauma portion of the public safety net.
Tom Stoneking, Winner for Customer Service
Tom goes the extra mile with his patients and family by making them feel comfortable and getting them the information they need to make better decisions for themselves or their family member. A good example is a 90-plus-year-old woman who fell and broke her hip. The patient was anxious and frightened. Tom helped her through her physical therapy with a sense of humor and a caring attitude. He also recognized that her daughter was just as anxious, so he kept her informed of her mother’s progress and her needs for after care.
Lisa Hileman, Winner for Positive Attitude
Lisa exudes a positive, friendly personality every day that she is at work. She gives warmth and care to everyone around her including patients, students, doctors and co-workers. She is a skilled communicator and a definitive part of the solution of any problem in the workplace.
Julie Everson, Winner for Preceptor/ Mentoring
Because of Julie’s excellent mentoring, John C. Lincoln we will be turning out an awesome group of new nurses in the future. She is an excellent example of what a preceptor should be because she not only takes the time to explain to student nurses the ins and outs of the field, but does so with love and enthusiasm.
Andrea Krumpo, Winner for Nursing Advocacy
Andrea is the voice for patients who have a lack of knowledge regarding the medical profession or are simply too weak to speak for themselves. She has the conviction and strength to act on issues that may compromise a patient, even if it involves having difficult conversations with peers or physicians.
Lorie Ledford and Cassandra Berkley, Winners for Teaching
Lorie and Cassandra were so outstanding, the selection committee was not able to chose just one. When you speak of an ambassador who is committed, professional, passionate, caring, and innovative, you would be speaking of Lorie. She was instrumental in the development of the plan to train and orient the entire ED to a new environment. She spent countless hours dedicated to making the transition as smooth as possible.
Cassandra looks for ways to help all staff, no matter how big or small the teaching need is. She has a positive, can-do outlook and she encourages and gives praise to others for their accomplishments. She is devoted to making sure she is available to staff and often rotates her work schedule to meet the needs of the night shift.
Maria Brenton, Winner for Student of the Year
Maria had a large hurdle to overcome during her journey to become an RN, but has done an excellent job in working toward her final goal. She has worked part time and has family that depends upon her. She has taken all adversity in her path with a positive attitude and motivation; many others facing the same issues simply would have quit.
Diana Alber, Winner for Research/Evidence-Based Practice
Diana has become excited about evidence-based practice and research, especially in her research on reducing patient falls. She has gone so far as to take her breaks during the times that research shows patients are less likely to fall. Now that is putting evidence into practice!
Jackie Laird, Winner for Human Caring
Jackie’s latest spirit of caring has been to rally others to donate slightly used wheelchairs, crutches and walkers for our indigent population. She has churches donating equipment, which she recycles to our patients, and if this isn't enough, she has friends and staff going to garage sales to find ortho equipment. She even has sacrificed some of her office space to store the needed and quickly used equipment.
Jackie is innovative in her spirit of caring and demonstrates it each and every day in a variety of ways. She is an exemplar of the caring spirit and she inspires us each day to "care a little more!"