SITKA – We are proud to announce that Clinical Manager for Labor and Delivery at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital (MEH), Susan Ward, RN was one of the finalists for the 2018 March of Dimes Alaska Nurse of the Year.
Each year, March of Dimes Alaska honors extraordinary nurses in the state who go above and beyond to exemplify an extraordinary level of patient care, compassion, and customer service in hospitals, NICUs, clinics, or home visits. The annual Nurse of the Year Awards Gala, presented by The Children’s Hospital at Providence, was Saturday, November 3rd at the Hilton Anchorage.
March of Dimes helps give the best possible start to over 4 million babies born annually. To that end, March of Dimes firmly believes they couldn’t do what they do without nurses. Saying in a press release, “Whether serving as a health care provider, educator, researcher, volunteer or advisor, nurses play a critical role in advancing the March of Dimes mission to fight for the health of every mom and baby. The Nurse of the Year initiative supports that mission while both recognizing exceptional nurses throughout Alaska and celebrating the nursing profession.”
There are eighteen categories for which nurses can receive a nomination. Once the selection committee completed a blind review process, they have narrowed the field to 18 nurses to receive honors in 18 categories at the awards gala. The categories are advanced practice, behavioral health, case management and managed care, charge nurse, critical care, education, emergency care, general medical/surgical, hospice, home health & palliative care, infection control & occupational health, long-term acute care/long-term/rehab, nursing administration, pediatric, public health & ambulatory care, quality & risk management, rising star, surgical services, and women’s health.
This year the selection committee completely comprised of Alaskan healthcare professionals received 110 nominations and after careful review of the confidential applications named a total of 65 award finalists representing 13 healthcare facilities. Eight of the finalists hailed from Southeast Alaska, and we’re proud that the MEH Labor and Delivery Nurse, Susan Ward, RN was on that list.
In the letter nominating Susan, a few things were highlighted and are just some of what makes her an exemplary nurse at MEH. For example, Susan leads by example by spending many hours going above and beyond as a manager to personally ensure the Labor & Delivery unit has well-trained staff, and in partnership with our obstetricians, she regularly helps bring new laboring options such as nitrous, and telemetry labor monitoring to the hospital. Susan was also a driving force in MEH’s application for a designation of “Baby-Friendly” at MEH, she coordinates well-attended community events such as the Big Latch On and recently approached community knitters to knit purple caps for MEH newborns as a way to promote awareness of Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Kari Wilson, SEARHC Chief Nursing Officer, said, “We are all proud of the work Susan and the team in Labor and Delivery do every day to serve our patients and their families!”
To see a list of all this year’s finalists, sponsors, and past Nurse of the Year Award winners, visit https://nurseoftheyear.marchofdimes.org/Event.aspx?EventId=20078.