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Nomination Samples

Advancing and Leading the Profession Sample | Clinical Care Sample | Community Service Sample | Management Sample | Mentoring Sample | Teaching Sample

Sample Nomination - Advancing and Leading the Profession Category

Professional Role:
Chief Nursing Officer, Associate Executive Director at a ______bed quaternary academic medical center.

How do you know the nominee?
The Nurse Recognition Committee at the organization all unanimously voted for our nominee on behalf of our hospitals community of nurses.

Why should this person win?
This nominee a wonderful, inspirational leader, who has reignited the concept of caring throughout the organization.  She has taught us to care not only for the patients but for each other as a team and for ourselves as individuals.  This can be seen in the collaborative caring model that is being rolled out throughout the organization. She supported the education of every staff member in the institution in attending a 8 hour class grounded in principles of holistic nursing, the code of professionalism and shared governance.She has also developed a Code of Professionalism to promote a safe environment for all. All staff members regardless of their role in the organization can report code violations without fear of retribution. She attends many code sessions with the director of nursing education and medical director.This nominee is committed to clinical excellence through the use of evidenced based practice. The nominee believes in education for all nurses. She holds a BS from Keuka College, MS from Adelphi University, and Doctor of Nursing Science from Columbia University.  She advocated for the organization to fully support fifty nurses in the pursuit of their Doctoral Education. She is also a committee member for four of the doctoral students, mentoring them through the process of defending their dissertation. Additionally the nominee is a Fellow in the American College of Childbirth Educators and a Certified Bereavement counselor.  Her clinical expertise and research include the care of vulnerable populations, particularly families experiencing perinatal loss. She has fostered the development of a bereavement committee to address hospital wide concerns for additional support for families and staff.As a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow, the nominee developed a Transcultural Nursing Leadership Institute, building international nursing partnerships. She has received several awards including the March of Dimes Maternal-Child Award, the NY Nurse of Distinction Award, and the NYONE Best Practice Award for Improving Patient Safety by Creating a Code of Professionalism.  The nominees foster the leadership and development of all nurses especially advanced practice, managers and directors. Leadership meetings are timely and productive, and all ideas are welcomed. Communication is fluid with her open door policy for all staff. Her visibility on the patient care units and at the caring model meetings have generated a wide base of support for this nursing leader.  In response to staff requests, she has supported health promotion efforts and the opening of an onsite holistic spa for staff and visitors. Discounted massages, reflexology and energy work are offered to staff on selected days.  She fosters independence in nursing leadership as well as accountability, and all nurses are rising to her challenge of excellence. Creativity is flourishing and welcomed change occurring

Contributions to nursing in general:
This nominee is committed to contributing to the body of nursing knowledge by authoring numerous articles and book chapters. She speaks internationally on issues related to leadership; patient safety, pediatric transplant, childbirth and grief. Her RWJ project was Developing a Nursing Leadership Institute in China.   The nominee encourages and financially supports participation in professional organizations and attendance at conferences.15 nursing leaders at the institution belong to NYONE and travel to the meeting in a van from the institution-all arranged by this nursing leader. Calls for abstracts are emailed almost weekly encouraging staff to contribute to the body of nursing knowledge. When abstracts are accepted, all conference expenses are fully paid for.

What else should the judges know?
She serves in the Editorial board of MCN -The American Journal of Maternal-child Nursing; the Board of Directors for the Association of Womens Health, Obstetrical and Neonatal Nurses, and the American Red Cross-Greater NY, queens. She is the President of Greater New York Organization of Nurse Executives.  This nominee loves to promote collegiality thru fun. She loves a party especially theme parties and has incorporated this into our nursing practice.It is not uncommon to see this nursing leader in the ER on a day when the hospital is well beyond capacity, bringing food to ER staff, pillows to ER patients, or consoling family members. Excellence is highlighted and celebrated on a grand level with ceremonies, invitations, food, music, family members invited, and testimonials given. For the first time in this institutions history, nursing and the daily excellence in care is a cause for celebration. When she was inducted into the Academy of Nursing a number of staff traveled with her to celebrate the day.The celebration continued when she returned to the institution as she is our fellow and we are very proud. Many nurses here now aspire to that role. We highly recommend this nursing leader for excellence in advancing and leading the profession.

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Sample Nomination - Clinical Care Category

Professional Role:
This nominee is an RN who works in the operating room performing circulating and scrubbing skills.  She maintains high standard of care by utilizing AORN  standards and is requested by surgeon in her Registered Nurse First Assistant role as well.  She also demonstrates skill in her ability as a cross trained Post Anesthesia Care Nurse as well as Same Day Surgery Nurse.

How do you know the nominee?
This nominee is a staff member in one of the Operating Rooms that I oversee has her nursing director.

Why should this person win?
She demonstrates commitment to excellence on a daily basis whether it be functioning within the Operating Room as a staff nurse, or in her RN First Assistant role, or most recently exemplified as she assume the role of Acting Assistant Patient Care Manager for a six week period.  During this time, she demonstrated the ability to be both a team leader and a team player.  The department functioned efficiently and cohesively.  She remained calm and handled any issues professionally.  It was during this time that the JCAHO inspection occurred and she guided the surveyors through the department on that day with confidence and pride and handled the additional stress well.She is an inspiration to her coworkers having pursued and completed her Bachelors Degree in Nursing.  She also sets an example for her coworkers by maintaining professional certifications such as CNOR, ACLS and PALS.She treats everyone with respect and demonstrates that unique ability to address issues with coworkers and physicians in a manner that invites communization.  In may situations, it was this communization that afforded revolutions of compromise.  She delegates responsibilities well and invites feedback.  She is a good listener and fosters critical thinking skills among the staff and encourages staff to be proactive.One of her greatest attributes was witnessed while in the Charge Nurse role on a day when nine bariatric surgeries were scheduled. Her ability to prioritize is exceptional, and although being in charge can be a challenging role, she always maintained control and eluded a calm demeanor. On that particular day, her presence was observed and felt throughout the OR.  She was at the nurses station between cases, functioned as the nursing assistant getting patients from Same Day Surgery, facilitated the instrumentation turn-overs for the cases and ensured that all staff had what they needed.  She provided lunch relief and due to a conflict on the schedule assumed the role of RNFA for an unexpected case.  And through it all, she remained calm and in control and because of that, the atmosphere within the OR was calm that day.  With her presence being felt throughout the OR that day, there was a motivational force that managed to inspire the staff to do better, work harder , and rise to the challenge of that busy day. Although the day was hectic and fast paced, everything ran smoothly.  She displayed such confidence in the rest of the staff that we would not let her down. Another fine attribute is that she further demonstrates her commitment to excellence in her role as a patient advocate.  She always maintains that our patients are our main focus and treats all patients with respect, compassion and dignity.  She exemplifies our mission statement everyday with her dedication to improving the health and well being of our community by providing high quality, compassionate care to everyone.  She adheres to the hospital vision by providing the best care and environment for her patient, physicians and staff.  She embraces the hospitals values by respecting human dignity, maintaining integrity, being compassionate and caring, utilizing resources to foster stewardship in her never ending pursue of excellence.

Contributions to nursing in general:
This nominee introduced the role of the RN First Assistant to this hospital.  In 1998 she investigated the role of RN First Assistant.  This role is that of an RN functioning as the first assistant during surgery.  At that time, only another surgeon could function in the role at our hospital. Finding an accredited program was only the first hurdle to clear.  The training involved class room attendance as well as enlisting the assistance of surgeons on staff to support her goal and commit to her hands on training.  At that time this was a new concept to staff, surgeons and administration and educating all groups was time consuming. She first needed to educate the surgeons on the role, scope of practice and abilities of an RNFA.  The role of first assisting is not the only role of the RNFA.  They must become knowledgeable in all areas of the peri-operative experience.  As an RNFA she became a strong resource person for co-workers on procedures, policies, disease processes and specific surgeon preferences.  She took on the role of the leader, teacher and caregiver.In addition to convincing her peers that she was a valuable member of the surgical team, she needed to convince members of the medical staff outside of the operating room that she was not overstepping boundaries of practices. Once she was credentialed the challenge was not over.  She proved to all that she was able to function at an independent level with efficiency, proficiency and skill in any situation.  Since 1998 several other staff have become RNFAs at our hospital.She is a proud pioneer in bringing this realm of practice to our hospital and has earned the respect and confidence of the operating room nurses and surgeons alike

What else should the judges know?
She is a member of the ____________county Emergency Response team. a mother of three and is currently applying to appointment for a position with Operation Smile, an organization that travels to rural areas of the world treating children with cleft lip deformities as a volunteer.

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Sample Nomination – Community Service Category

What is the nominee’s professional role”?
In Northern Zimbabwe located in a poor, poverty stricken area, there is an active medical care facility, a mission hospital. The person in charge of this hospital or Sister in Charge, has accomplished a remarkable job. She directs all aspects of the hospital, from administrative duties to medical treatment of critically ill patients. Such care included difficult births, emergency surgeries, crocodile bites, burns, reading X rays, and many other medical problems. Hundreds of outpatients has received successful treatments of this sort from her. These patients come from near and far. Some came from as far away as 500 miles as this is the only functioning hospital in Mashonaland west. Many patients traveled over five hours from the capital city of Harare, just to receive the kind of  medical care given at this mission hospital. Most of the success of this hospital is due to the effort and dedication of this Sister in Charge. The hospital also provides not only Outpatient Care (daily, hundreds of patients seek treatment), but also radiology, lab analysis and a pharmacy.My nominee Kathy McCarty the Sister in Charge, has established many life saving programs, some listed below, that focus on a variety of healthcare issues: Well Baby Clinic: Kathy organized well baby clinics, a total of 16 centers in the area.. On Tuesdays and Thursdays a registered nurse and, an assistants travel to different villages to check for a number of medically related issues. They check babies for health and normal growth as well as the health of adults. Age appropriate vaccinations are given including DPT, measles, hepatitis B, influenza, polio, and BCG.  In addition, birth control pills are provided for the mothers. If any children or adults are found to be critically ill, they are taken back to the hospital. For those children that appear undernourished, advice is given to the parents such as going to the hospital for care.HIV Clinic: Kathy developed a home health program for the prevention and treatment of HIV. Every Tuesday and Friday afternoons, she visits two to three HIV patients supplying food, psychological, physiological and spiritual care for the entire village in which HIV patients are found. She treats HIV symptoms with appropriate medications. Over a period of 15 years, she has diagnosed over 10,000 patients with HIV (100 patients a year). Fifty HIV patients are on the books at all times .Prenatal Care: My nominee developed a prenatal care program at the mission to care for pregnant women every Wednesday.  Kathy started a program of tetanus toxoid immunizations as a part of prenatal care that eliminated neonatal tetanus commonly found in newborns in the area before this program was started.  Pregnant women are also given a choice of being tested for HIV infection.

How do you know the nominee?
I have known my nominee since 1972 in Zimbabwe when were both teenagers.  She had finished a semester at Santa Rosa Junior College and didn't really know what her major would be.  Her mom had a great idea for her.  The secretary to the Missionary Doctor in the mission hospital was looking for someone to replace her for one year while she came back to the USA on furlough.  Kathy's mom thought it would be a great idea for her to go and spend one year in Zimbabwe and be a secretary to the missionary Doctor who was also American and they supported  her for the year.  Kathy took this offer from her parents and packed her bags and left for Zimbabwe when she was 17 years old and celebrated her 18th birthday in her new country. I am Zimbabwean and met my nominee in 1972 after I had finished High School.  My brother was principal of the mission school and he had arranged for me to come to the mission after getting my high school results so that we could plan my future.Both Kathy and I were trying to figure out what we were going to do with our lives but it didn't take my nominee long to make her decision.  She fell in love with the people of Zimbabwe and got her call to become a nurse, then come back to help the people of Zimbabwe.

Why should this nominee win?
For over 28 years, she has committed her lifework to ease other peoples burdens by providing quality medical care and health education.  .  Her patient population is 100,000 but in reality should be 12.5 million since her hospital seem to be the only hospital working in the country at the present time.  In Out Patient, they see over 200 patients a day most of them coming from as far as Harare the capital city .Kathy speaks the native Shona language, has provided numerous jobs for the Zimbabweans, and arranged waiting houses for mothers who have traveled long distance on foot to reach the hospital.  She is a noted speaker on the AIDS epidemic in Africa, and has implemented home care treatment for AIDS patients so they get treated in their villages.  Her tireless fund raising has resulted in a new maternity ward, a medical lab, and an AIDS  education center.  She has raised a scholarship fund for girls to go to school and right now she has 250 girls, and 15 boys in her program. Some of these girls end up being nurses or teachers in the area. Thus she has demonstrated what a nurse can do in a poverty stricken part of the world that is suffering from an AIDS epidemic.My favorite example of my nominees compassion and commitment to supporting someone in need is the story about two brothers Kudakwashe and Nicodemus: Both of these brothers were born with HIV.  Their father died shortly after the birth of Nicodemus in 1996.  In 1998 their mother died.  They went to live with their elderly grandmother who took care of them.  Their grandmother was a rural farmer who grew enough food to maintain the family, if there were good rains for the year.  In 2003 Kudakwashe who was 12 years old was admitted to the hospital by my nominee who quickly diagnosed him with TB and AIDS.  The grandmother and Kudakwashe had walked 25 miles to get care at the hospital.  Over the next several months my nominee continued to treat Kudakwashe, provide supplementary protein foods for the family to help the grandmother care for him and she sought a sponsor in order to start him on Anti-retroviral drugs.  Monthly he walked the 25 miles to get his medicine and slowly he became better.  While he continued to get better, his younger brother came in and also was now in full blown AIDS.  In 2006 he was started on antiretrovirals and has greatly improved.  The grandmother who thought she would bury her 2 grandchildren just like their parents is now very happy to see the children thriving and growing while taking their meds.  My nominee has paid for school fees, uniforms, and books for both of them.  She has showed concern for their physical well being as well as providing a way for them to take care of themselves in the future through education.

What has this nominee contributed to nursing?
How has the nominee contributed to the nursing profession in general My nominee has taken the opportunity of demonstrating her high level of competency in the profession of her choice by serving in another country that is poverty stricken. She is well known as a nurse throughout Zimbabwe. Her development of home health care programs is now widely used throughout Zimbabwe as well as neighboring countries. She has worked for many years with limited to no resources providing medical care. She has also worked at times as much as a year without a medical doctor available.

Is there anything else the judges should know?
What else should the judges know After the June 5th, 2006 edition of Nurse Week publication, she has had a number of visitors including nurses, doctors, pre-meds and others interested in the work she has accomplished. She provided accommodations, transportation, and meals for all who came and some are looking forward to returning. She has made an impact on those nurses who visited her from her home town, who are now working tirelessly, collecting medical supplies from different donors as well as raising monies for shipping those supplies to Zimbabwe. Personally, she has touched my life and I am now proud to be a nurse.  She is the one who encouraged and supported me to obtain my goals.   Many lives in Zimbabwe have been improved and will never be the same because of her!   She deserves to be honored and I am proud to nominate Kathy McCarty for the Nurse Excellence Award.

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Sample Nomination – Management Category

Professional Role:
My nominee is the Nurse Manager for the Trauma, Emergency Department, and Bed Management in this _______-bed tertiary, non-profit, acute care, teaching community hospital. She manages one of the largest emergency departments in__________. She has administrative and clinical responsibilities of 160 FTEs with operating budget of 10 million. She is accountable for the leadership, strategic planning and team building for a management team of nine coordinators. As the manager of Bed Management, she oversees assignment of _____ inpatient beds. In addition to the ED daily operations (75,000 yearly visits), she is also responsible for the maintenance of the Trauma Service, Injury Prevention, Brain Injury, and Work Medicine Programs.

How do you know the nominee?
I know the nominee since _____________when I came to work in this hospital. In my capacity as the Shared Governance and Magnet Nurse Manager, I observed her departments’ nursing excellence led by her leadership and management.

Why should this person win?
This nominee should be selected for her leadership in the following accomplishments:-Achieved top 10 in USA for MI and pneumonia quality initiatives. Achieved Press Ganey scores over 90 in ED visits for the last 5 years. In_____________ the Emergency Medical Associates awarded her for her role as the original faculty member, for her outstanding team leadership, dedication in excellence in patient care and strong commitment to customer satisfaction. This hospital’s Board of Trustees Customer Satisfaction Committee also presented her an award on ______________for outstanding achievement in improving patient satisfaction. She successfully led two ED expansions and was responsible for the design and planning of additional 36 ED beds. -Led five successful trauma site surveys by the American College of Surgeons with emphasis on patient/family-centered care. We’ve become a preferred ED from pre-hospital providers who attest to our organizations delivery of good care, and we’ve been recognized by the American Trauma Society for her role in the planning and design of the Trauma Coordinator Core Course. Edited Trauma Coordinator Advanced Course through the American Trauma Society. ED Manager means more today in the emergency environment than just a numbers cruncher. ED Management role is one of negotiations, support, facilitation, and encouragement of staff. In the stress of everyday operations, overcrowding, and staffing shortages, this manager fought to keep staff and processes aligned with ENA and to facilitate her staff to participate in _____ENA and ENA on a multitude of levels. She supported nursing empowerment and autonomy thru the EDs staffing and self-scheduling. She fostered staff growth and development.  She made sure available resources are accessible to the staff.  She supported one of her ED staff leaders to launch an ED website which accorded her staff ease of navigation to the ENA and other emergency care sites, sites on overcrowding patient flow, disaster preparedness and disaster dare, stroke care, cardiac care, critical care, pediatric care, evidence-based practice resources, research websites, national information and databases, trauma care and psychiatric care. She supported staff efforts in starting research. She performed studies with her staff on The Effects of an Educational Intervention on Perception of Violence in ED Nurses,  Medication Reconciliation Practices in Emergency Departments, initiative for patients in ED prone to pressure ulcers by using mattress overlap, etc. She supported their efforts to present posters in national conferences. This manager found success in her goals to develop ED/trauma nurses through the ED Fellowship Program with her educators and advance nurse practitioners. She also hired nursing students in secretarial and technical positions to expose them to their chosen fields. They worked in the department and grew also professionally within.

Contributions to nursing in general:
My nominee is a member of the Emergency Nurses Association (since 1993), Society of Trauma Nurses (from 1991), American Trauma Society (from 1990), and Organization of Nurse Executives (from 2002). Her ENA involvement focused more on the support of staff development and leadership in the state ENA as well as at the national level. She contributed to the growth of trauma providers in their practice. As previously stated, she played an active role in the planning and design of the Trauma Coordinator Core Course. She edited the Trauma Coordinator Advanced Course through the American Trauma Society. Within the ED, she supported professionally and financially three of her staff who are members of national committees: Resolutions, Clinical Practice; and the chair of the Psychiatric Workgroup. Through her efforts and support, staff has taken on multiple positions at the state level: trauma chair, treasurer, informatics chair, program chair, marketing chair, exhibits committee, president elect, and research and practice. She also has six TNCC/ENPC instructors among her staff, two of which hold faculty status. She also provides a tremendous amount of financial support to the professional development to all levels of staff. TNCC and ENPC are supported as the standard and not the exception here at_______________. Considering that we have a nursing staff of 112 employees this is financially difficult both with costs involved and scheduling necessary for the educational time. Further, staff has been encouraged to take the instructor classes and even faculty classes to better themselves and help further her vision. Nursing development is supported by encouraging certification in the form of CEN. She has supported on-site CEN reviews twice in the last 3 years from outside lecturers. ED staffs who achieve their CEN are awarded a pin and have their name added to the plaque, which is displayed prominently in the department. All staff during evaluations that do not have their CEN is asked to incorporate the certification in their goals for the upcoming year.

What else should the judges know?
In____________, the Trauma  Injury Prevention Service of this hospital celebrated 10 years of Injury Prevention Programming as __________Safe Kids / Safe Communities. Our Safe Community Concept was established in _________ when my nominee was the Trauma Nurse Coordinator. Her vision, energy and understanding of the need for prevention in trauma care made a difference. Under the guidance of this nurse manager, the ED staff initiated their programming in _________County. By 2000 it had expanded to__________ and ________ Counties to match our trauma catchments area. The need for additional program enabled us to become a Local Safe Kids Coalition as well. Her strong community ties with the pre-hospital care providers and first responders enabled us to build a strong coalition foundation. She emphasized the theoretical framework for our Injury Prevention Program as outlined by National Highway Traffic Safety.  All partners participate as equals in developing solutions, sharing successes, assuming risks, and building a community structure and process to continue improvement of community life through the reduction of injuries and costs. This manager saw the need to involve the medical, acute care and rehabilitation, first responders, law enforcement, civic groups, corporate and manufacturing business and our government agencies within our coalition. She recognized the need to be actively engaged as integral partners in preventing injuries. As her role with the administration of Trauma  Injury Prevention changed, her support became stronger. We have been able to keep a clear concept of our goals and mission under her guidance: to reduce fatalities, injuries and property damage due to unintentional injuries on the road, at home and at play. Beyond the support of personnel and funding for the injury prevention programs, my nominee has supported legislative changes in _____that have made_________ a safer state: Our Very STRONG CPS Law, established in _____________after the Safe Kids Report Card gave _________it an F as a very weak law; a tighter helmet law requiring kids up to 17 to wear a helmet on a bike, skateboard of skates; our .08 legislation that addresses drunk driving; our present work on the graduated drivers license and aggressive driving campaigns. These legislative / enforcement actions have raised awareness to make our communities safer. She has supported the efforts of Injury Prevention through tight fiscal and staffing times, major hospital mergers, administrative changes, and growth and expansion within the hospital system.

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Sample Nomination - Mentoring Category

Professional Role:
As director of Nursing education research and practice, she is responsible for all educational initiatives at the institution. The 14 nursing educators report directly to her and provide education for over 2000 nurses. This includes nursing grand rounds, nursing highlights, patient care services orientation and special projects.  In addition, she is responsible for the placement of over 550 graduate/undergraduate students on an annual basis.  She played an instrumental role in the implementation and design of the critical care fellowship program.  In 2007, the emergency department fellowship was launched under her direct supervision and guidance.  All ACLS, BCLS, and NRP courses are under her direction and supervision as well.  Currently 100 of RNs at the institution are BCLS certified.

How do you know the nominee?
The nominee has numerous accomplishments. They include but are not limited to acting as the chair of the institutions Research Committee which holds an annual evidence based practice conference.  She coordinates and oversees the nursing fellowship program for the entire hospital.With recent advances in the scope of practice at she was a key participant in the development of the renal transplant curriculum.  The curriculum and education was extensive and thorough, successfully leading to the hospitals first renal transplant in 2007.  One of the most prestigious accomplishments is the recent incorporation and development of the Professional Code of Conduct.  This code of professionalism has established a safe, healthy environment of care through a non-punitive culture.  The institution of this initiative has already had great influence on shaping the culture of nursing as well as several other disciplines toward positive patient outcomes.  

Why should this person win?
The nominee has numerous accomplishments that display the way she supports, guides and influences nurses in our institution and in the nursing community.  They include but are not limited to: chairing the institutions Research Committee which holds an annual evidence based practice conference.  coordinating the nursing fellowship program for the entire hospital. key participant in the development of the renal transplant curriculum.  The curriculum and education was extensive and thorough, successfully leading to the hospitals first renal transplant in 2007.  Incorporation and development of the Professional Code of Conduct.  This code of professionalism has established a safe, healthy environment of care through a non-punitive culture.  This initiative is changing the culture of nursing as well as several other disciplines, ensuring safe patient care and a healthy work place.   The nominee has been a tremendous support system for nurses and their career advancement.  In 2007 she was responsible for the creation and initiation of certification classes to mentor nurses and help them achieve nursing certifications in their respective scopes of practice.  This led to an increase in nursing certifications by 15.  The projected percentage is anticipated to increase greatly.   To support the next generation of nurses, she has developed a summer nursing externship program that allows over 400 undergraduate and graduate students to connect to their colleagues on a professional level while being embraced in a collegial and caring environment.  She has also helped to create and implement the Clinical Ladder Program, encouraging and recognizing growth of the nurse at the bedside. Each new level comes with a title change, new responsibilities and extra prestige. While mentoring is a part of her education role, the nominee surpasses the job expectations with her open door policy for nurses, her monthly night meetings and unit walk through, her support and mentoring nurses who are referred in the code of professionalism process.

Numerous managers are also mentored by this nominee, as she holds frequent one to ones to support and guide them in their role.Her fantastic memory allows her to remember names and greet each person (who she has met in orientation) by name, creating a personal touch in a large institution. A number of ancillary staff have been encourage to pursue a nursing career through her support.As a key member in the institutions professional practice model design team, she is implementing a caring nursing model placing the patient first and supporting staff in the delivery of care. She is also instrumental in the development of shared governance councils, mentoring staff through selection and the decision making process.

Contributions to nursing in general:
Through the above accomplishments, the nominee contributes to  the nursing profession touching the live of over 2,000 nurses in just this institution. Her participation in system committees, national organizations, networking with colleagues across the country in the DNP program allow her experiences and accomplishments to be shared. the nursing research committee, conferences and workshops encourage evidence based practice. She supports nurses with the development of research ideas and the development of posters and process through the IRB.At the present time, implementing the code of professionalism is having the most dramatic effect on nurses in this institution as a safe environment is created and culture is changed. When there is an issue, a hotline number is called and this high level nursing director stops what she is doing and addresses the issue. Within 24 hours she meets with the another member of the code team and the individual involved in the episode and discusses appropriate conduct. Each nurse that she touches impacts on numerous patients and staff so with her mentorship many more nurses are indirectly affected.

What else should the judges know?
As a strong advocate toward the success of this initiative she is currently a DNP candidate whose doctoral thesis is concentrated on the professional code.  She currently attends Case Western University with an anticipated date of commencement in 2009. We strongly support this leader of nursing education as our choice and example of  a true mentor in nursing.

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Sample Nomination - Teaching Category

Professional Role:
The nominee is a Senior Nurse Scientist at a large academic medical center in Boston. She has been in this role since 1988.  In addition, the nominee is a Professor in the School of Nursing at a Boston area College.

How do you know the nominee?
I have known the nominee since 1989 when I first started working at a large academic medical center in Boston.  Over the years, 1989-present, I have worked collaboratively with the nominee and other members of our executive team to design, implement and evaluate some of the cornerstones of the professional practice model at our institution, including, but not limited to: collaborative governance model, the professional practice environment survey, and the nursing research strategic plan.

Why should this person win?
I can think of no better person to receive the Nursing Spectrum/Nurseweek Excellence Award for Teaching.  The nominee embodies the role of the teacher.  John Quincy Adams once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." The nominee lives those words.  She is fully committed to her students' growth.  She selflessly gives of her time and knowledge to further each student's development and is always focused on the other rather than herself.  It is not unusual for her to be at her desk until midnight reviewing and editing work that students and nurses have asked her advice on.  She makes time for anyone and everyone who needs her help. The nominee is a teacher in every setting - both in the classroom and in clinical practice.  Her philosophy is that the human person is a whole and her work reflects the unity of theory, research and practice to advance the nursing profession by educating nurses in the use of nursing science to improve patient care and the human condition. Not only is the candidate a brilliant thinker and teacher but she is also a truly kind and generous person who works endlessly to support students and staff.  She has a unique combination of being both challenging and nurturing so that the nurse or student advances in knowledge but in a way that feels fully supported.  Her teaching style is informed by her calling as a nurse. The candidate is not only a master of nursing knowledge, she is a leader because she is able to use that knowledge to inspire and drive others.  It would be easy to be intimidated by someone with her credentials and accomplishments but instead she fosters and encourages new ideas, full disclosure and "challenging the status quo." The nominee has a way of single-handedly motivating every nurse she meets to advance their thinking, practice and education.  As a result of meeting her, many staff nurses and advanced practice nurses have continued their education and returned to practice influencing and supporting a professional model, improving patient care, and "giving nursing a voice." The nominee is able to connect with nurses at every level and is able to ignite their potential. Through the process of her mentorship, nurses in our facility learn to articulate the essence of nursing and how as a nurse they distinctively contribute to the patient experience.  At our institution, there are nearly two dozen nurses with doctorates in nursing - an astounding figure. The nominee formed the Doctoral Forum which advances the work and impact of these nurses through research, the creation of centers of excellence (e.g. Wound Center) and publications. The nominee has also influenced the refinement of a survey tool for staff nurses to identify and rank common nursing practice problems seen in the clinical arena.  Within this survey tool, nurses are asked what support they are given in regard to these clinical problems. This has generated a greater understanding of the needs of nurses at the bedside.  In addition, the findings of this survey have greatly impacted the role of the Clinical Nurse Specialist at our institution and nationally. In fact, the common patient problems survey was presented and administered to CNSs at the annual meeting of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. In addition, I have witnessed first hand the exquisite work that the nominee has done to develop, implement, and most importantly, evaluate the impact of our collaborative governance model - the eight committee communication and decision-making structure. Through her leadership and coaching, the committee leaders and membership are poised to sift through the complex issues that face today's health care clinicians. Together, the committees are adept at getting to the heart of the matter and display the qualities of creativity, collaboration, critical analysis, organization, and purposeful persistence. I am in awe of the programs and initiatives that have originated out of the collaborative governance committees and because of the nominee's influence, our institution sets the gold standard for collaborative decision-making  Many of the outcomes from these committees drove the development of our written evidence for our Magnet application in 2003 and is driving the writing for our current Magnet redesignation application effort.

Contributions to nursing in general:
The nominee has been a nurse for over 40 years, 27 of those as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.  She has held national office as the President of NANDA and the Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS), to name just a few. She has influenced hundreds of nurses as a graduate faculty member and as a senior nurse scientist has influenced and guided the development of the professional practice environment, developed measures and conducted outcomes research, and mentored hundreds of nurses at all levels. She is a fierce advocate for nursing.  What makes her truly amazing is her ability to articulate nursing's unique disciplinary contributions to care found within the nurse/patient-family partnerships. She is a strong voice for the profession of nursing as evidenced by the recent book she co-authored titled, "Giving Voice to What We Know: Margaret Newman's Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness in Nursing Practice, Research and Education." The nominee possesses an unwavering commitment to advancing the domain of nursing and collaborative practice and an openness to do whatever it takes to make care delivery the best it can be.  She exemplifies the very best in what it means to be a nurse leader, mentor and teacher.

What else should the judges know?
It doesn't matter who you ask the question, "What is unique about the nominee?", the answer is always the same. The answer is, "The nominee makes me feel like I'm the most most important person when I talk to her -  she is genuinely interested in what I have to say and intently listens to me."  There is a difference between an instructor and a teacher.  An instructor is someone with intellectual prowess who shares information only, with a student.  A teacher, on the other hand. uses intellectual prowess to nurture the intellect and develop the personhood of a student.  A teacher is personal, and the nominee is very much a teacher.    Always the teacher, she says to all of us.  "Have you thought of it this way?", "You need to publish this paper", and "This is a presentation." And, with her encouragement, we do.

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