During Nurses Week we wanted to spotlight some amazing nurses, so we asked you, our Nursegrid community, to nominate a nurse who has made an impact on you or your department. The response we received was overwhelming, and more than we could have ever anticipated. With almost 600 nominations, the list is incredible. There are so many of you going above and beyond for patients and colleagues. We were incredibly inspired by the stories that were shared.
After reading through all of the submissions, we chose 5 that stood out. Check out the winners and what their nominators had to say about them:
Dana Laverty, RN BSN MSN
Jefferson Hospital
“She does everything in her power to make her patients as well as their families feel at home. She is extremely thorough in all her patient education and always eliminates their fears and anxieties about their current situation. She once took a dying ICU patient who was getting started on comfort care measures and a morphine drip outside with all his lines and monitors to be in the warm sun and arranged for his dog to be present for the time, as this was his one wish. Dana is unbelievably positive and it radiates onto her coworkers and patients the moment she steps foot on the unit. She has never been recognized for any of this and I would really love for her to know she is valued.”
Mary Schultz, Nurse Manager
Wake Med Cary Hospital
“She truly puts her people and her patients first. For example the ac went out a couple summers ago and she called immediately to have it fixed. After speaking with the repairmen who said it would be at least a couple hours she went and bought a couple hundred dollars worth of fans so her patients and her employees wouldn’t melt in the heat. She did it without hesitation or expectation of being reimbursed. Daily she does things to improve the environment that we work and while we work hard we don’t work in an unsafe environment thanks to her fighting for safer ratios.”
Jeffrey Duane Mezeske
Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital
“Jeff always takes the time to listen, and goes above and beyond for his patients. This past holiday season Jeff went to the store and bought multiple gifts for both boys and girls of all age ranges for the children that would come in to the ED that day. Our hospital is in a lower income area and he didn’t want anyone to go without, and he loves putting smiles on the faces of his patients.”
Catherine (Katie) Brule, RN
Aberjona Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
“As an RN myself, and as Katie’s husband for nearly 30 years, I have seen her selflessly deliver nursing care to a multitude of patient’s over the years. Being an evening nurse, she has never really received recognition for the care she gives, nor has she ever sought it for herself. As a PACU RN at a nearby hospital, I have cared for many of Katie’s patient’s after surgery. When they find out who my wife is, they always go on and on about how wonderful she is with her patients. She is 62 years old, and I’m told that she is the one of the most energetic, positive, and compassionate nurses they encounter while at the facility (something that I am well aware of being married to her). She has worked full time since we were married, and has managed to raise three wonderful girls, two of whom are registered nurses themselves. In fact Amy, our youngest, is working with her mom at the same facility. I have received several awards for nursing over the years, and feel as though I am half the nurse she is. It is difficult to see her commitment to her patients year after year with no official form of recognition from her employers/colleagues. This year, nurse’s week is here and will conclude with Mother’s day. It would be very special if my wife Katie were to receive this award this year. Don’t take my word for it though, if she is considered, I can certainly have some of her co-workers contact you in order to confirm what I have written about her.”
Kathy Spencer, LPN
Windsong Care Center
“I am nominating Kathy because she is a wonderful nurse. She goes over and beyond the call of duty to make sure all patients are cared for. During Hurricane Harvey she made sure she was at work on time even during the bad weather. Her home was flooded and they were able to escape to a bridge. They were relocated to a families home which was an hour away. Kathy made an hour drive just to come to work. She treats her patients as if they are her family. She’s compassionate and thoughtful. She’s a team player and always willing to help any nurse out. She never ask for anything in return and I want to take this time to show her that we all see what kind of person she truly is and that’s an amazing one.”
