University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s Nurse Excellence Awards Presentation and Graduate University (GU) and Critical Care University (CCU) Graduation was held on Monday, May 9 at the Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College. The occasion was the premier event in the annual celebration of Nurses’ Week, May 6-12.
Leading the event presentations, Ruth Ann Jones, UM Shore Regional Health’s senior vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer, noted that this year marked the fifth anniversary of the Nurse Excellence Awards and that the 2016 honorees were selected from a total of 43 nominations, the greatest number submitted since the awards were established. “This awards program was established by nurses and for nurses as a way to recognize those who go above and beyond for our patients and their families, and for their communities,” said Jones. “All nominees deserve our appreciation, as do their families and other supporters who help make it possible for them to go the extra mile in the care they provide.”
Ken Kozel, president and CEO, spoke glowingly of the key role that Shore Regional Health’s 533 nurses play in achieving the organization’s mission, Creating Healthier Communities Together, and its vision, to be the Region’s Leader in Patient Centered Health Care. He also noted that while one of the constants in today’s health care is change, another constant is that strong leadership makes the difference in navigating change. “This evening we are surrounded by nurse leaders who believe in excellence, and they achieve it by focusing on relationship based care, evidence based care and professionalism,” Kozel said.
Kozel also thanked the 28 graduates of the CCU and GU programs for selecting UM Shore Regional Health to begin their careers and encouraged them to continue their professional development as the next generation of nurse leaders who will help the organization to continue to thrive in the coming decades.
John Dillon, chairman of the Board of UM Shore Regional Health, stated, “Board members “are keenly aware of the quality of nursing offered in the hospitals because we so often hear from people in the community about how wonderful our nurses are. Our nurses have played a key role helping us become one of the best community hospitals in the nation, in my opinion.”
The 2016 Shore Regional Health Nurse Excellence Awards winners are:
Outstanding Achievement in Care Delivery: Commitment to Others – Beverly Greaves, Clinical nurse, Emergency Department, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown
Outstanding Achievement in Leadership – Mary Collins, Clinical Nurse Coordinator, 2 East, UM Shore Medical Center at Easton
Outstanding Achievement in Mentorship/Advocacy – Kimberly Kral, Clinical Nurse Coordinator, Emergency Department, UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester
Outstanding Achievement in Professional Nursing – Steven Jacobson, Clinical Nurse Coordinator, Emergency Department, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown
Unit/Department Excellence in Clinical Outcomes – Post Anesthesia Care Unit, UM Shore Medical Centers at Dorchester and Easton
Twenty-eight nurses were honored for completing UM Shore Regional Health’s CCU and GU advanced nursing education programs. Following remarks by Regina Volz, CCU/GU faculty and Amanda Dulin, a CCU graduate who works the Intensive Care Unit at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, certificates were presented to the graduates.
The 2016 CCU graduates honored were: from UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown – Bradley Jones, Amy Loder-Crouch, Kimberly Seward and Melanie Walls; from UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester – Laura Jackson, Melissa Maynard, Justine Schnaitman and Samantha Stevenson; and from UM Shore Medical Center at Easton – Kay Adair, Michelle Bixler, Katelyn Bradley, Niesha Munson Brown, Amanda Dulin, Ruth Kathie Fisher, Trisha Germann, Chelsea Lewis, Christy Marciniak, Christina Seningen and Emily Vlahovich.
Honored as 2016 GU graduates were: from UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester – Diana Cox; and from UM Shore Medical Center at Easton – Lindsay Anderson, Heather Downes, Ashley Higgs, Ramona Hutchison, Jessica Pretzler, Susan Price, Melissa Shiflet and Shelby Wheatley.
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