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 and a DAISY Award May 6 during National Nurses Week. The recipients of the Pat Gaunt Nursing and Hickman Excellence scholarships were also announced by the Bothwell Foundation.

National Nurses Week highlights the contributions of nurses from all over the world and the strength and fortitude they have demonstrated through the challenges of the last year. Each year, Nurses Week begins on May 6 and ends May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. This year’s theme was “The Year of the Nurse.”

Bothwell Chief Nursing Officer Rose McMullin, RN, announced the nominees and winners of the Nurse of the Year and Nursing Support Person of the Year awards and the DAISY Award.

Nominees for Nurse of the Year are nominated by their peers and are committed to providing exceptional nursing care and compassion to patients. Ann Martin, RN in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, was named the 2021 Nurse of the Year.

“We all struggled this year in many different areas, taking care of patients and trying to make sure we had enough staff,” McMullin said. “Ann epitomizes Bothwell’s mission and vision. When the pandemic hit, she stepped up and came over to help when she was needed.”

Additional nominees for Nurse of the Year included Megan Elwood, Emergency Department; Amy Johnson, 2 Southwest; Mimi Johnson, 2 Southwest; Patty King, Bothwell OB/GYN Associates; Ronda McMullin, Progressive Care Unit, Rita Mergen, Quality Management; Vickie Monath, Emergency Department; Leslie Shapley, 2 North; and Katie Touchstone, Critical Care Unit.

Sarah Anderson, medical assistant at Bothwell Internal Medicine Specialists, was awarded the Nursing Support Person of the Year. This award recognizes individuals who help nurses do their job and ranges from administrative assistance to security.

Other nominees for Nursing Support Person of the Year included Holli Bircher, Case Management; Jessica Craig, Cancer Center; Bothwell Security team; Shelby Osburn, Emergency Department; Susan Roe, Orthopedics; and Annie Wolf, 3 Southwest.

Ronda McMullin, RN in the Progressive Care Unit was named the winner of the DAISY Award. While Rose McMullin (no relation to Ronda) stayed in hospital as a patient, Ronda was the attending nurse. Before announcing Ronda as the winner, Rose said, “I think one of the highest compliments you can give anyone as a nurse is saying I want them to take care of me and my family.”

Additional nominees for the DAISY Award included Frances Craver, Emergency Department; Kristy Musgrave, 2 Southwest; and Christy Wilckens, Women’s Health and Newborn Care. The DAISY Award was created in 1999 to honor extraordinary nurses, not just for their skills, but for their passion. Nurses are nominated by patients.

Throughout Bothwell’s hospital and clinics, there are nearly 450 nursing professionals including nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nurse aides, constant observers, ED care techs and ward clerks.

“Nursing is a profession and an incredibly honorable profession,” said Bothwell Chief Executive Officer Lori Wightman. “No one ever said nursing is easy. Nursing is hard work, but I believe there is no more direct connection to purpose and worthwhile work and making a difference than through the profession of nursing.”

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

The recipients of the Pat Gaunt Nursing Scholarship were Stacey O’Donnell, Cancer Center; Cary Hovendick; Bothwell Health Center-Truman Lake; and Serena Cronk, 3 Southwest unit manager.

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 other nurses to get the training they need to better serve the patients they care for each day.

The recipients of the Hickman Excellence Scholarship were Angela Kammeyer, Diabetes Education, and Susan Lamb, Radiation Oncology.

The Hickman Excellence Scholarship was established by friends and family in memory of JaEllen Hickman, a longtime nurse and Bothwell employee. The scholarship is for Bothwell employees who are seeking to improve themselves so they can improve the quality of care at Bothwell.