Left to right: Patricia Sneed, medical receptionist in the MICU, Marilyn Dubree and Lynda Bolan, manager on the eighth floor of VUMC, gather after last week’s State of Nursing Address in Light Hall. Sneed was chosen as the recipient of the 2004 Friend of Nursing Award and Bolan received an award recognizing Innovative Practice. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Nursing awards, honors given during address
Nurses and friends of nursing at Vanderbilt were recognized and honored as part of Dubree’s address and in conjunction with National Nurses’ Week.
Patricia Sneed was chosen for the Friend of Nursing Award, honoring individuals who support and recognize the importance of nursing in the delivery of health care. Sneed is a medical receptionist in the MICU. Dubree said she was chosen for the award for her respect for the nursing profession, and her willingness to step outside of her role as receptionist to assist nurses with the care of patients when her help is needed.
Lynda Bolan, nurse manager on the eighth floor of the Medical Center was given the Innovative Practice Award. Bolan was chosen for the award for her work to promote an environment of professional accountability, serving as a role model to others, demonstrating problem-solving and visionary leadership that enables high standards of care for patients and fosters risk taking and innovation in the workplace.
The Rosamond Gabrielson Staff Nurse of the Year Award, recognizing excellence in clinical practice, was given to all nurses who advanced to RN3 and RN4 status in the Medical Center. Forty-three nurses at VUMC who advanced to these levels in their career were honored.
Bonnie Pilon, doctor of science in Nursing, R.N., senior associate dean for Practice in the School of Nursing, and Cathy Taylor, doctor of Public Health, R.N., director of the Disease Management Program with the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, were given the Faculty Nurse Award for their work in the School of Nursing, the Medical Center, and the community.
Devin Carr, assistant manager of the SICU, was chosen as the first recipient of a new five-year nursing fellowship program funded by ALARIS Medical Systems, Inc was named as part of the State of Nursing Address.
It is being offered in memory of Irene Hatcher, M.S.N., R.N., who passed away last November after a long and distinguished nursing career at VUMC. Hatcher devoted much of her career to medication safety. ALARIS benefited from her expertise in the development of the smart IV medication safety systems, which today are helping to improve the safety of high-risk medications in more than 100 institutions around the United States.