Christina Constans, RN, and chief nursing officer Mary Del Guidice MSN, BS, RN, CENP. (Credit: Will Connelly)
Last month, one of PAH’s star nurses was named a member of the third cohort of Penn Medicine’s Distinguished Nurse Clinician Academy. The academy recognizes nurses who represent the “gold standard” and serve as role models for their colleagues. Not only are they clinical practice experts, but they are impassioned bedside advocates for patients and their families, and they possess exceptional interprofessional skills. By distinguishing those nurses who go above and beyond for every patient, every day, the academy seeks is to spread clinical excellence throughout Penn Medicine and to shape the best practices of future nurses.
Christina Constans, RN, a clinical nurse in Cardiology, has held multiple nursing roles at Penn over the last 27 years. A leader and invaluable resource among her peers, Constans is a vital part of the new Mentorship Program, as well as chair of the Professional Excellence Council, a peer supporter in the Caring for the Care Provider Program, and a member of the Shared Governance, Workplace Incivility Project, and the Caregiver Stress Initiative. She has also received recognition with the 2017 Lynn and Emil Hubschman award, an Allied Health Employee of the Year distinction, and a Relationship Based Care Award – and many more nominations!
Each recommendation letter lauded her positive outlook, infectious energy, and genuine care for her patients’ happiness and well-being, not just their health. One colleague wrote that Constans, “makes me proud of the nursing profession,” while another noted that “everyone she interacts with is treated with care, comfort, respect, and dignity.”
Constans was nominated by
Kristine Renshaw, the nursing supervisor for the Cardiac Cath Lab and Prep/Recovery Unit. “Not only is Chris is the most selfless person I know, but she is also the most patient-centered nurse I know,” Renshaw said. “I have watched her continue to grow every year. She looks for new ways to make the patient experience better, and she is determined to support and elevate her peers on a daily basis. She is the definition of a team player and I am so proud to call her colleague and friend.”