Bothwell recognizes staff during National Nurses Week

Bothwell Regional Health Center recognized nominees and presented Nurse of the Year and Nursing Support Person of the Year awards on May 6 during National Nurses Week. Recipients of the Pat Gaunt Nursing Scholarship were also announced by the Bothwell Foundation.

National Nurses Week highlights the contributions of nurses from all over the world. Each year, Nurses Week begins on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Bothwell’s theme this year is, “Rooted in Strength.”

Nominees for Nurse of the Year must be an LPN or RN and have worked at Bothwell for at least one year. Nominees for Nursing Support Person of the Year may work in any nursing department, are unlicensed patient support staff and have worked at Bothwell for at least one year. They are nominated by their peers and are committed to providing exceptional nursing care and compassion to patients.

Sarah Hopper, RN, and Critical Care Unit (CCU) unit manager is Bothwell’s 2022 Nurse of the Year. According to Michele Laas, Bothwell’s chief nursing officer, Hopper was nominated by several of her coworkers for the award.

“Sarah’s effective communication and problem-solving skills, compassion and genuine care for her patients and coworkers are admirable to so many of us,” Laas said. “She recently returned to school to further her education and is an exemplary role model and mentor to our younger nurses. One line in a nomination really says it all about her, ‘She is the model of a nurse who toils in a small, rural hospital who understands the link between the mission and the people she works with and serves.’”

Additional nominees for Nurse of the Year included Judy Davis, Women’s Health and Newborn Care; Cassie Kindle, 2 North; Michele Laas, chief nursing officer; Taryn Lee, Bothwell Medical Equipment, Susan Lamb, Oncology; Kristen McCullough, 2 Southwest; Jennifer Owen, Bothwell Internal Medicine Specialists; Tina Propheter, Women’s Health and Newborn Care; Mike Snow, Patient Care Coordination; Rebekah Thompson, Susan O’Brien Fischer Cancer Center; Katie Touchstone, Critical Care Unit; Jennifer Unkel, Quality Management; Christina Zimmerman, Radiation/Oncology; and Tammy Walker, Susan O’Brien Fischer Cancer Center.

Bobbi Dorr, 2 Southwest ward clerk/nurse aide, is Bothwell’s Nursing Support Person of the Year. This award recognizes individuals who help nurses do their jobs and ranges from administrative assistance to security. Dorr was described as being efficient, effective, an ultimate team player, a “floor cheerleader” and the “glue that holds us all together.”

“Bobbi is greatly respected by staff including physicians and is the ‘go-to’ person for information and answers,” Laas said. “She is often the first person visitors see when they arrive in her unit. Not only is she exceptional in her role of managing patient admissions and discharges and the myriad tasks that accompany them, but she also is an excellent caregiver, answering patient call lights, assisting patients’ families and helping her coworkers at every turn. Her professionalism, positivity and genuine concern for everyone she meets are extraordinary.”

Other nominees for Nursing Support Person of the Year included Katelyn Buxton, Progressive Care Unit; Tala Hinck, 2 Southwest; Vicki Howard, Nursing Administration; Heather Keith, Bothwell Internal Medicine Specialists; Jana Kennedy, Quality Management; Sydney Lindgren, Bothwell Internal Medicine Specialists; Stephanie Meyer, Sleep Center; Michele Potts, Women’s Health and Newborn Care; Shirley Schlobohm, Nursing Administration; Whitney Stevens, Radiation/Oncology; Kayley Wilbers, Progressive Care Unit; and Heather Woolery, Susan O’Brien Fischer Cancer Center.

Throughout Bothwell’s hospital and clinics, there are nearly 400 nursing professionals including nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nurse aides, constant observers, ED care techs and ward clerks.

In addition to the nursing awards, Lauren Thiel-Payne, Bothwell Foundation executive director, announced the Pat Gaunt Nursing Scholarship winners

Recipients and their scholarship awards included Sarah Cordes, Women’s Health and Newborn Care, $2,845; Katelyn Buxton, Progressive Care Unit, $1,225; Katelyn Purchase, Bothwell Family Health, $1,225; Serena Cronk, 2 Southwest, $1,697; Sarah Hopper, Critical Care Unit, $1,730; and Stacey O’Donnell, Susan O’Brien Fischer Cancer Center, $940.

The Pat Gaunt Scholarship is made possible by a bequest from the estate of Patricia Gaunt, a registered nurse at Bothwell from 1969 until her retirement in 2001. The scholarship provides resources for nurses to get the training they need to better serve the patients they care for each day.