“Tonight we celebrate the critical role our nurses play in the Health System,” said Juliane Jablonski, DNP, HUP’s critical care RN systems strategist, at this year’s Distinguished Nurse Clinician Academy induction ceremony. The Academy recognizes nurses from all practice settings who exemplify excellence in the direct care of patients and families. The newest inductees were nominated by their peers for their “superb clinical knowledge, critical thinking and a willingness to apply evident in pursuit of knowledge… They are the nurses we all aspire to be,” Jablonski said.
CEO Ralph Muller congratulated new inductees for receiving this “academy award,” prestigious recognition for their clinical excellence in what he called the “great revolution in health care. The patients you see are so much more complex than 35 years ago.”
The complex care impacts outpatients as well. “These are patients you once saw in an inpatient site,” he continued. “For example, patients used to spend five to six days in the hospital to receive chemo. Today they are seen as outpatients.”
Among the new inductees is Kristine Chestnut, BSN, MS, of the Inpatient Drug and alcohol Detox and Rehab unit at Penn Presbyterian. She teaches her patients activities, such as knitting, crocheting and other crafting projects, to help them learn to help others. So far these projects have “given back” to many groups, including the more than 250 scarves for the Winter Special Olympics, helmet warmers for deployed soldiers, cancer caps for patients in the Abramson Cancer Center, and prayer shawls for patients receiving chemo at the hospital.
Krystle Coughlin, BSN, of Princeton Health, another new inductee, implemented a monthly Family Social for both current patients and “graduates” of Princeton Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit. She provides food, crafts for siblings, monthly raffles ... and, most important, a venue to share tips and concerns. According to one nomination, “many NICU graduates and their families come back to not only interact and support current families but also to see Krystle and show her how their babies have grown and progressed.”
This year 10 nurses joined the Academy, bringing total membership to 32.