The annual UPHS Nursing Clinical Excellence Awards honor professional nurses, celebrate their achievements, and recognize their dedication to providing high-quality, evidence-based, patient-centered care. Outstanding individuals throughout the health system are recognized by Nursing leadership and their peers for the outstanding efforts to promote excellence in patient care. This year, five all-star PAH nurses were recognized with special awards. Congratulations on these much-deserved honors!
Laura Pelosi, BSN, RN a NICU clinical nurse III and “instrumental” team member, was awarded the Lillian Brunner Award for Exemplary Practice in recognition of her leadership prowess, fundraising expertise in creating a more tranquil, less clinical environment for end of life care, and her role as a subject matter expert for a highly successful Pain, Agitation, and Delirium project.
The Rosalyn J. Watts Award for Community/Patient/Family Relationships was granted to Frank Visco, BSN, RN-BC, a clinical nurse III on 4 Cathcart, who “was part of the team involved in bringing a new and complex ENT patient population” to his unit, thus shortening their length of stay. His diligence and dedication have led to reduced infections and positive Press Ganey scores.
The recipient of the Helen McClelland Award for Research and Innovation was Ann Marie Sanders, BSN, RN, a clinical nurse III on 7 Cathcart/7 Preston, who “embodies what it means to be a true nurse scholar and leader, striving for the best possible outcomes for colleagues and patients.” She recently presented research on nursing engagement that won Outstanding Poster Presentation the Penn Medicine Nursing Research Conference, was accepted to the Journal of Nursing Care Quality, presented at the Eastern Nursing Research Society Conference, and will now be piloted on her units.
Laura Bloemeke, BSN, RN, PCCN, a clinical nurse III on 7 Schiedt who is active in Shared Governance and on the hospital’s Professional Excellence Council, was honored with the Dianne Lanham Award for Leadership. As a mentor for colleagues and unit leader, she has participated in successful, statistically significant quality improvement initiatives, such as the implementation of an aromatherapy program for patients receiving chemotherapy.
Tanya Carmichael, MSN, RN, RNC-OB, RN-BC, director of Nursing Education, earned the Victoria L. Rich Award for Transformational Leadership in recognition of her “role model behavior” and ability to “provide expert resources.” Her commitment to the Diabetes Education Center has resulted in expanded services, and her focus on therapeutic relationships with patients has led to a “palpable, positive effect on the patient experience.”