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Examples of Excellence
Nursing Spectrum announces finalists for annual awards
Debra Anscombe Wood, RN

         The 2008 Nursing Spectrum Excellence Awards finalists represent some of the finest nurses in the DC/Maryland/Virginia region. Judges have selected five finalists in six categories — Advancing and Leading the Profession, Clinical Care, Community Service, Management, Mentoring, and Teaching. The regional winners, which will be announced at the Nursing Excellence Gala on June 3 at Martin’s West in Greenbelt, Md., will become finalists for the National Nurse of the Year award in each category.

Advancing and Leading the Profession
Patricia Conway-Morana, RNC, MAd, CPH, CNAA-BC, FAC
Chief nurse executive
Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Va.
Nominated by: Kathryn “Kitty” Richardson
            Patricia Conway-Morana possesses the caring qualities one associates with a new graduate, only she has tempered it with the compassion gained through a variety of life and professional experiences. Accessible to staff, she promptly answers telephone calls and e-mails; routinely rounds on nursing units, listening to staff and getting a feel for their concerns; and attends the nursing congress. She champions excellence and supports a diverse workforce. Her can-do attitude has earned Conway-Morana respect from physicians and administrators, and her warmth and personal energy attract others to her. Passionate about recruiting and retaining talented nurses, she is not too proud to pick up the telephone and call nurses who have left to invite them back.  

Eileen Dohmann, RN, BSN, MBA
Vice president, CNO of nursing
Mary Washington Hospital, Fredricksburg, Va.
Nominated by: Irene Summers, RN, MSN
            Eileen Dohmann  empowers and motivates fellow nurses to deliver the best care possible. She rounds on every shift and treats staff with dignity and respect while inspiring them to continually improve and setting the vision to change. She challenges nurses to increase efficiency without sacrificing quality. When the nursing staff asked for the medical-surgical emergency team to provide 24-hour service vs. 12-hour coverage, she worked with nursing leaders to make it happen, with each unit agreeing to transfer a few hours each week to the rapid response team, so nurses would have someplace to turn when a patient develops acute clinical changes. She led the nursing team to come up with a surge plan in which nurses partnered with other departments to ensure they could take more patients and had enough staff to care for them.

Jeanne Maguire, RN, MSN
Chief nursing officer/vice president patient care services
Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington, Va.
Nominated by: Shirley Lewis and Mary Ellen Gannon
            Despite many demands and responsibilities, Jeanne Maguire always keeps the patient as her focus. She challenges nurses to think critically, take risks, and seek professional opportunities. She has returned LPNs to the bedside as part of a team nursing approach and has established a path for them to become RNs, with tuition reimbursement and scholarships. She has aggressively pursued creation of clinical leader positions, making those nurses available as resources to staff. She mentors staff and managers, helping them advance their careers. Maguire has introduced a succession planning program and works outside the organization with leaders from academia, public policy, and business to increase the number of nurses in the pipeline. She has lobbied for increased funding for nursing education, informs laypeople about the profession, and promotes nursing inside her organization and out.

Susan D. MacMillan, RN, MS
Senior vice president of patient care services
Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore
Nominated by: Kathy Grzeskiewicz
            An energetic and enthusiastic change agent, Susan D. MacMillan looks beyond the immediate needs to assess and respond to changes in nursing and the healthcare environment. MacMillan asks no more of her staff than she is willing to give and keeps abreast of the latest trends. She has motivated members of the nursing leadership team to step outside their comfort zones, enabling them to take risks and turn them into opportunities for improvement. She encourages staff to develop professionally. At the same time, she supports the fun side of nursing, involving staff and leadership in team-building exercises. She also has reached out to college deans to discuss nursing opportunities at Mercy, increasing the number of clinical rotations available at the facility, and has shared her knowledge with fellow nurse executives at national meetings.

Carol Ball, RN, MAS
Senior director of nursing
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore
Nominated by: Terry Bennett, RN, BSN, CHCR
            Carol Ball influences the direction of nursing care at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, and through her loyal leadership, the nursing department has succeeded on multiple levels. She builds and justifies the patient care budget and advocates for nursing department needs so the professional caregivers at the bedside have what they need to provide the best care possible. She bridges the gap between finance and clinical care. Ball also is the person everyone turns to for help in solving a problem or managing a difficult staff member. Having worked at the hospital since it was owned by the city of Baltimore, Ball has watched the facility grow and evolve. She willingly shares her vast historical knowledge, bringing a different perspective to the table. She always listens and is willing to offer caring and thoughtful advice. Ball has earned the respect of staff nurses, managers, and her director colleagues.

Clinical Care

Johanna Braden, RN, CHPN
Clinical coordinator, palliative care
Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington, Va.
Nominated by: Moira Haney
            When it comes to taking care of patients, Johanna Braden knows no limits to her commitment, compassion, or creativity. A role model and trusted mentor to nurses of all generations, Braden demonstrates a devotion to making patients’ lives better, whether in the setting of serious clinical illnesses or during their transition to the end of life. She is known for her unique perspective on the nurses’ role in meeting the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of patients and has been known to do anything possible to help, regardless of the time or effort involved. One example of her commitment was when a dying patient made the request of wanting to feel rain on her face. Thanks to some creative planning, Braden made certain the patient was comfortable and mobile, then went outside with the patient during a rainstorm and danced in the storm while the patient got her wish. Braden, according to coworkers, is a pioneer at Virginia Hospital Center in palliative care and has placed nursing at the center of that service.

Karen C. (Cheli) Miga, RN, MSN, CCRN
Clinical specialist, critical care
Washington Hospital Center, Washington
Nominated by: Kathleen Srsic-Stoehr, RN, MS, MSN, CNAA-BC
            An outstanding clinician, educator, and respected leader, Karen C. (Cheli) Miga possesses strong interpersonal skills. She serves on numerous hospital committees and interdisciplinary teams. As co-chair of the critical care palliative care committee, she helped to develop order sets, educational programs, nursing rounds, and grief packets, and initiated pre-end-of-life interdisciplinary huddles to assist staff and families coping with end-of-life care.
Fellow nurses and students regard her as an exceptional coach and mentor. Miga also has played a key role on the heart failure/heart transplant/ventricular assist devices (VAD) committee in preparation for VAD accreditation and heart transplant certification through the Joint Commission. Patient-focused, she works alongside staff to guide and develop their knowledge, skills, and interpersonal communications. She led the development of a cardiac nursing conference this year for the hospital, other health system hospitals, and the community.

Lyn Zehner, RN, BSN, MN, AOCN
Clinical nurse specialist oncology
Inova Alexandria Hospital, Alexandria, Va.
Nominated by: Joanne Gucciardo
            Lyn Zehner functions at the highest level of professional practice and serves as a resource to the physicians as well as the nursing staff at Inova Alexandria Hospital. During the past two decades, she has been instrumental in taking a small oncology unit, primarily caring for patients at end of life, and turning it into a full-service program that administers intraperitonal chemotherapy through a mediport into the upper abdominal cavity, using a protocol she researched, recommended, and taught to fellow nurses. She advocates for professional development and encourages nurses to obtain certification. She will come in at all hours to assist nurses, viewing these opportunities as teachable moments. She sits on oncology medical staff committees and is seen as an equal partner by the physicians when discussing clinical practice and treatment.

Lucinda (Cindy) Kahoe, RN, BSN, CNRN
Advanced clinical nurse – education
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Nominated by: Zeina Khouri-Stevens
            A nurse for 27 years, Lucinda (Cindy) Kahoe draws on her knowledge, technical skills, and critical thinking abilities to deliver quality, safe, and compassionate patient care. She guides and mentors fellow staff and new graduates to do the same. She excels in clinical care and in teaching others. Nurses seek her guidance well after orientation ends. This year, Kahoe precepted four new graduates, who highly praised her teaching abilities. Her unit retains nearly all of its new graduates, something the director of nursing credits to Kahoe thoroughly preparing them for the nursing role. She also has developed a program to decrease noise on the unit so patients can rest better, and she has assumed a leadership role in helping the hospital on its Magnet journey.

Monica Lovins, RN, AA
Clinical nurse educator
Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, Md.
Nominated by: Karen Boliek
            An expert clinician, Monica Lovins readily shares her knowledge with new graduates and values promoting nurses’ continued development. She has mentored several nurses through the advancement system, helping them to identify clinical projects, assisting in research activities, and facilitating their involvement in presentations. This past year, eight interns grew into accomplished critical-care nurses under her guidance. Lovins understands current trends, is willing to try new approaches, and inspires others to improve their skills. She makes learning fun, for instance, creating a gizmos and gadgets day when nurses could become familiar with the available technology tools. A capable lecturer and writer, she completes most of her teaching at the bedside, shoulder to shoulder with staff. She welcomes nurses from other units to participate in her critical care consortium classes. She collaborates with other clinical nurse educators, clinical specialists, and the staff to give everyone a chance to contribute and enjoy the success of their efforts.

Community Service
Terri Zeman, RNC, BSN
Staff nurse – labor and delivery
Franklin Square Hospital Center, Baltimore
Nominated by: Joan Robertson
            Recognizing the pain parents experience with the death of a baby – whether from complications of prematurity, disease, birth defects, or miscarriage – Terri Zeman has always exhibited compassion at this time of loss and helped parents cope. She was instrumental in developing a pregnancy-loss support group and coordinating an annual memorial service for babies who passed away during the year. For nearly a decade, she and other nurses at the hospital have worked to create a year-round place to promote healing and remembrance. After the hospital received a $100,000 grant from a private foundation, construction began on the Garden of Little Angels, an outdoor sanctuary for solace and reflection. It features a waterfall, a pond, benches, and trees. At the dedication, parents, family members, and hospital staff were given small watering cans and invited to pour water onto the garden in the spirit of remembrance.

Robert McWhirt, RN
Vice president for patient care services
Calvert Memorial Hospital, Prince Frederick, Md.
Nominated by: Terri Polick
            Robert McWhirt leads by example and enjoys giving back to the community. He volunteers as a United Way board member and speaks at area high schools, warning students about the dangers of drinking and driving while sharing examples of the consequences he witnessed as an emergency department nurse. But most impressively, he started a non-profit, free karate program for youngsters from underserved communities nine years ago. He teaches two hours a night, four nights a week and participates in special weekend events. Participants must keep their grades up if they want to continue in the program. About 150 students currently are enrolled. One young man flourished with McWhirt’s mentorship, gaining self-confidence, discipline, and a drive to succeed. He not only completed high school but graduated from nursing school and is now working at the hospital. McWhirt shows nurses they possess the power to improve the lives of others by participating in community service activities.

Patricia Lane, RN, BS, BSN, MBAHCA
Stroke program management coordinator
Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Va.
Nominated by: Jayne James
            Active in her community, Patricia Lane has taken the famous Mahatma Gandhi saying to heart, believing, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” She works to better the community of nursing, to eliminate healthcare disparities, and to ensure equity in health policy. As the nurse for her daughter’s high school basketball team, she accompanies them to tournaments and gives lectures about healthy eating and exercise. She serves on the health committee for her sorority and the health ministry at her church. She recently assisted her uncle in writing a grant for the church community to promote healthy lifestyle changes and teach seniors about Medicare benefits. She serves as an ambassador for the American Heart Association’s Power to End Stroke Program, frequently speaking to community groups, and has appeared on radio and TV shows, educating community residents about stroke prevention and healthy lifestyles.

Wynne Aroom, RN, MSN, CDE
Patient education specialist
Shore Health System, Easton, Md.
Nominated by: Ruth Ann Jones
            Wynne Aroom goes out of her way to help others, readily volunteering on committees within the healthcare system and in the community. She serves on the board of a local commission on aging and has helped organize various events, including a senior celebration, and assisted in development of the first Seniors Directory, listing elder community agencies and resources. She organizes and participates in the annual Shore Kids Camp, a week-long day camp for children with diabetes and asthma. She belongs to the Smoking Cessation Coalition and has worked closely with the local health departments to implement a smoking cessation educational program in the healthcare facility. She also serves on the Alzheimer’s Education Committee, which offers the community an annual educational seminar about caring for dementia patients. She participates in numerous health fairs, facilitates a monthly diabetes support group, and attends numerous career fairs to promote nursing as a profession.

Julia Warner, RN, BSN
Patient care director, Inova Total Joint Replacement Center
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, Alexandria, Va.
Nominated by: Ann Vennell
            As team coordinator for Operation Walk Virginia, an organization that provides joint replacements and follow-up care to patients in third-world countries, Julia Warner creates a partnership between the local group of volunteer physicians and nurses and the host country, hospital, and surgeon. It requires diplomacy and knowledge about international laws. She partners with U.S. embassies, the State Department, and the departments of health in the U.S. and the host country to navigate bureaucratic red tape that is inherent to this type of medical mission. She creates travel plans and itineraries, navigates customs, obtains visas for the team, makes hotel and dinner reservations for them, and coordinates sightseeing opportunities. She supervises procurement, packing, and shipping of supplies and equipment that contain everything needed to run three operating rooms, a post-anesthesia care unit, a surgical nursing unit, and a small therapy department. She arrives in the host country early, ensures everything is ready for the team, and coordinates activities once everyone arrives.

Management
Diane Bongiovanni, RN, MA, CNAA
Director of patient care services, ER-7
Sinai Hospital, Baltimore
Nominated by: Sheryl Capozzi, BSN, CEN
            Under the leadership of Diane Bongiovanni the vacancy rate in the Sinai Hospital emergency department dropped from 30% to 15%, with no turnover and no agency nurses. She implemented a multifaceted approach to resolving recruitment issues, helping to set up an international nurse recruitment and assimilation process, collaborating with a nearby university, and motivating ancillary staff to continue their education. She applied for and received grants to fund professional growth programs, such as the Emergency Nurses Association’s trauma and pediatric courses. Nurses from Sinai traveled to other facilities to become instructors and now teach the programs onsite. An innovator, Bongiovanni implemented a five-level triage system, opened a rapid evaluation unit to improve patient flow, and led the department’s initiative to become the first unit in the hospital with computerized physician order entry. Her door is always open, and she makes time to listen.

Tonya Washington, RN, MSN
Interim director, cardiology
Washington Hospital Center
Nominated by: Damon Cottrell
            A transformational leader, Tonya Washington, RN, MSN, maintains a clear vision of practice and employee satisfaction goals, which drives her work. She believes patients deserve the best care possible and the staff should be well equipped to provide that care. She sets high standards and serves as a role model. Patient outcomes on the unit are consistently strong, and many physicians request their patients be placed on her unit. Her falls, pressure ulcer prevalence, pain management documentation, patient satisfaction, and other measures stay above or below benchmark as appropriate. She quietly, and unassumingly, inspires nurses to want to do more, achieve more, and contribute more. She keenly challenges her staff and consistently stimulates them intellectually. Washington began a journal club on the unit. She encourages nurses to become certified, to belong to professional organizations, to read within their area of practice, and to provide exceptional nursing care.

Connie Stone, RN, MSM
Vice president of patient care services
Montgomery General Hospital, Olney, Md.
Nominated by: Mary L. Miller
            Connie Stone brings clear vision and evidence-based practice to patient care. She leads with passion and purpose and creates an environment in which nurses not only succeed but flourish. She employs a participative style and values people’s opinions. A risk-taker, she inspires others to think outside current parameters and to improve ineffective systems. She possesses a quiet, thoughtful way of looking at ideas. She advocates for succession planning, encourages unit managers to attend hospital association meetings and conferences, and challenges directors to become more strategic. She will roll up her sleeves to help during surges and boarding in the emergency department, answering phones, transporting patients, facilitating discharges, and responding to questions and concerns from patients and families. At the same time, she has put into place throughput initiatives, breaking down interdepartmental silos with cross-functional teams to improve patient flow. Not satisfied with the status quo, she pushes nurses to reach higher.

Elaine Gittings, RN, BSN
Patient care manager, progressive care unit
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Nominated by: Andrew D. Magalee
            A multidimensional manager, Elaine Gittings has stepped beyond routine management responsibilities to design, build, and plan the implementation of an executive service rounding program. She developed rounding scripts and evaluation and recording tools, and then trained staff, including the physicians and multidisciplinary team. She demonstrates passion and a desire to create an exceptional care environment with fully engaged stakeholders and staff. She establishes strong partnerships with the multidisciplinary team and has a clear vision of what service excellence should look like and what the dynamics are needed to accomplishment it. She instituted hourly patient rounding on her unit, which has improved clinical outcomes by reducing patient falls and increasing compliance for pneumonia vaccinations. She also has reduced the RN vacancy rate on her unit from 50% to less than 2% during her six-year tenure as patient care manager. She has precepted many new managers and can be counted on as a valuable management resource.

Ann Vandervort, RN
Director of perioperative services
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
Nominated by: Debbie Bendahan
            For more than 30 years, Ann Vandervort has worked in Inova Mount Vernon Hospital’s operating room, starting as a staff nurse. For the last 28 years, she has served as director of perioperative services. In any dilemma, she always does what is best for the patient and keeps safety as a top priority. She created a shared leadership model in the mid-1990s and continues to coach and mentor staff. They feel empowered and enjoy the environment, as evidenced with high scores on a national RN satisfaction survey and 100% retention and no turnover in 2007. She possesses masterful skills for growing staff, capitalizing on each employee’s talents, and coaching employees to achieve their goals. She also has mentored leaders at other facilities, elevating the practice of nursing in northern Virginia. She builds relationships based on trust and confidence, mutual respect, and honesty. A nurse for 50 years, she has witnessed many changes to practice, embracing improvements in patient care.

Mentoring
Ina Bowman, RN
Director of emergency department
Fauquier Hospital, Warrenton, Va.
Nominated by: Catherine Walsh
            Ina Bowman embodies Fauquier Hospital’s philosophy of patient-centered care, and she respects and appreciates staff. She consistently demonstrates the highest nursing values and ethics and provides a shining example of professionalism and caring for new nurses to emulate. She communicates well with physicians, patients, and families. Two years ago, she assumed responsibility for an emergency department that was not functioning well with very poor patient and employee satisfaction. Since then, she has garnered the respect of physicians, administration, staff, and patients. The department now enjoys a 0% vacancy rate, employs no agency staff, and achieves 98% staff satisfaction scores. She emphasizes career development, offers an educational program, mentors new clinical directors, and has built a leadership team with shared visions and goals. The department earned a 68% loyalty rate for patient satisfaction.

Joanne Jarboe-Costello, RN-BC, MSN, CPN
Manager, nursing education
Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, Md.
Nominated by: Susan Smith
            Nurses seek out Joanne Jarbo-Castello because of her devotion to nursing. She is well-respected within the Holy Cross Hospital organization. She works diligently to promote professionalism and education for this generation, and the next generation, of nurses. She developed the clinical ladder Promoting Recognition in Developing Excellence (PRIDE) program at the hospital to recognize and reward excellence in clinical practice, leadership, professional growth, and contributions to the oganization. Every PRIDE nurse works with Jarbo-Castello in preparing an application and a presentation for the Nursing Practice Council. She has facilitated nursing school clinical rotations, nurtured and fostered summer externs, and mentored new graduate and experienced nurses through hospital orientation. She creates positive experiences and is a tireless supporter of nursing.

Sara Phillippe, RN, BSN, MSHCA
Administrative director, Nursing Center of Excellence
Mary Washington Hospital
Nominated by: Rebecca VanRenan, Tammy M. Brigner, Tracey Dewispelaere, Deresa Hall
            Armed with a postive and nurturing approach, Sara Phillippe inspires people to become the best they can be. She has implemented career planning sessions for individuals interested in a nursing career. She reorganized the Mary Washington Hospital summer extern program to help new nurses gain practice skills and grow into accomplished nurses. She spearheaded creation of a clinical ladder at the hospital and led an effort to bring Virginia Commonwealth University’s RN-to-BS program to Fredericksburg, allowing nurses to pursue an academic degree close to their place of employment. She established the hospital’s first medical call center and designed an independent medical insurance plan for hospital employees. She currently is building the Magnet program, while continuing to assist in the evening pediatric clinic, which lets her continue to directly care for patients. She loves people and always has a smile on her face. She makes time for her staff and is a fair and trustworthy leader.
 
Barbara White, RN, CCRN, CEN
Clinical educator
Washington Hospital Center
Nominated by: Beth Pruski
            As clinical educator in a busy emergency department, Barbara White demonstrates the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ definition of authentic leadership — embracing a healthy work environment, living it, and engaging others in achieving one. She primarily works with new graduates, but she also serves as a role model and mentor for the entire ED nursing team, spending time with the highest-performing nurses as well as those acquiring more basic skills. She works with nurses one-on-one, accurately assesses each employee’s strengths and weaknesses, and develops a prescribed improvement plan. Through open and continuous communication, she keeps the ED management informed of the progress of new staff. When she joined the department in September 2006, the RN vacancy rate hovered at 80%, but as of January 2008, that rate had dropped to 33%. It is a change the associate director of ED operations credits largely to White. She serves as a role model, mentor, and example to new grads and experienced staff.

Sara Mossburg, ACRN, BSN, MS
Director of professional practice/Magnet program director
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, Alexandria, Va.
Nominated by: Patricia Mook
            Sara Mossburg has a passion for improving the professional practice of nursing and has advanced and strengthened nursing in the delivery of patient care. She developed Inova Mount Vernon Hospital’s first new graduate residency program and successfully brought on board the largest number of new grads the organization had ever hired. The hospital experienced the lowest rate of turnover within the Inova system of hospitals as a result of her work. She has a healthy disrespect for the status quo. Constantly learning, she encourages her peers to do the same. She promotes certification and established a leadership journal club. She has created avenues to bring evidence-based practice to the bedside through education and research. She shares with colleagues her compelling vision of professional practice and enlists their support in bringing excellence into reality. She embraces an attitude of service to others, caring about people, and results.

Teaching
Ilene Jones, RN, MSN, CEN, CCRN
Clinical nurse specialist – emergency department
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Nominated by: Mary Ann Greene RN, MS, CNAA
            Recognizing that delivery of safe, high-quality emergency care requires a stable nursing workforce, Ilene Jones helped develop an innovative, interactive orientation program to prepare new graduates to work in the ED. She trained preceptors to teach, mentor, and coach the novices. Rather than taking an assignment, the preceptor is responsible for the learning of three new nurses, helping them apply classroom lessons to their assignments. Five of the six nurses in the first cohort – and all nine in the second group – continue to work in the ED, which now has a 0% vacancy rate. The success of the program led the hospital to expand the orientation to all acute-care units. All the while, Jones continued working with existing staff to increase their knowledge and skill level. She has taught a certificate review course and coordinated a 14-hospital ED consortium course. She mentors master’s-level nursing students and encourages nurses to pursue advanced degrees. 

Joan Tilghman, RN, PhD
Associate dean
Coppin State University, Baltimore
Nominated by: Carl Tilghman, RN
            During her tenure as associate dean at Coppin State University, Joan Tilghman has more than doubled the enrollment, recruiting minority students and helping them manage the financial burdens with grant money. She provides an education system that is affordable, friendly, and professional in a minority populace. She recruited four new faculty members and helped the school pass its accreditation requirements. She has developed online courses and serves as a resource for nurses conducting research. She promotes the value of advanced degrees and serves as a role model for students, peers, and potential nurses. She demonstrates that nursing is a professional and invaluable asset as a collaborator in solving social, academic, and health issues. She serves as a consultant and a board member for an organization addressing the health needs of formerly incarcerated women. She embodies a holistic approach to nursing and considers nursing both an art and a science.

Florence Richman, RN, PhD, MBA
Dean, nursing
Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Va.
Nominated by: Mandy Milot
            Florence Richman fosters excellence in quality nursing education and maintains a commitment to support the health of the community. Within the past year, she helped plan, develop, and implement three new nursing programs at Northern Virginia Community College, which will increase the nursing program’s 2009 graduates eligible for licensure as RNs by about 100, nearly doubling the 2007 graduation rate of 124. Enrollment has grown from 283 nursing students in 2004 to more than 480 nursing students in fall 2007. She also recruited and hired sufficient faculty. The new accelerated, weekend/evening, and online coursework pathways provide opportunities for cohorts of students to begin the nursing program each academic term rather than annually and to rapidly complete a nursing degree. The new Momentum 21 program, in partnership with a university, allows students to seamlessly continue working on a bachelor’s degree after graduation and passing the NCLEX.

Wayne Neal, RN, BSN, MGA, BC
Professional practice specialist-patient family education
Children’s National Medical Center, Washington
Nominated by: Mourine Evans
            Educating nurses about the best ways to teach and relate to families is a passion for Wayne Neal. Patient and family education has become a complex issue, with nurses having limited time to teach, language barriers, complex patient populations, and a large number of new graduate nurses. Through innovations in patient family education, she has improved communication and made it easier for nurses to teach. She has developed teaching tool kits for common diagnoses, which allow nurses to educate parents throughout a child’s hospital stay about the condition and managing it. When funds were not available from hospital operations, she applied for, and received, grant funding to convert the materials into various languages. She manages and leads nursing continuing education courses and has designed, implemented, and evaluated local and regional programs. She serves as a nurse expert reviewer of educational materials for many companies developing electronic information.

MaryBeth Thier, RN, BSN, CCRN, BC
Education specialist
Franklin Square Hospital Center, Baltimore
Nominated by: Lori Oross
            An innovative educator, MaryBeth Thier has focused on quality improvement initiatives at the hospital. She has served as project manager for the VHA’s Transformation of the ICU project, leading the team to receive a best performer award for reducing bloodstream infections, achieving tight glycemic control, and reducing mortality associated with severe sepsis and septic shock. Through the program, the hospital has reduced its ventilator-associated pneumonia cases. She also co-led development of the hospital’s rapid response teams and put the facility in the national spotlight by inviting families to initiate rapid response calls. She develops creative ways to educate staff and will work at the bedside to teach nurses, strengthening bonds on the unit. She doesn’t expect others to do anything that she wouldn’t do herself. She makes herself accessible, approachable, and walks the walk. Her down-to-earth style eliminates fear of the unknown when nurses learn new information.

Debra Anscombe Wood, RN, is a freelance writer.