Krystel Raheem, Mark Bird, Gina Tucker
Franciscan Tells Its Nurses: You’re LOVED
As we finally bid adieu to the COVID lockdown – fingers collectively crossed we don’t have to go through this ever again – let’s not forget the incredible role our healthcare system’s nurses played to help us get through those hard times. They literally nursed us through the pandemic – going about their critical work amidst the real threat of the virus around them.
We can never thank them enough. But we can certainly try!
Franciscan Health Olympia FIelds recently celebrated its nursing teams, as well as key support staff, during National Nurses Week in May. They did so with just the right kind of gusto.
Not all superheroes have superpowers, but they have plenty of training, gadgets and compassion to help those in need!
Nurses embody what it means to be of service, saving the world each and every day in just a pair of scrubs!
The hospital staff recognized their Team Member of the Year, Nurse of the Year and Nurse Leader of the Year, and numerous nominees, through the Nursing Excellence Awards program. These professionals were nominated by their peers for the exceptional work they do Living Our Values Every Day (LOVED). Two of the honored nurses received $1,000 to use for attending a nursing professional development conference.
Nursing Excellence Award recipients and nominees were:
Team Member of the Year: Mark Bird
Nominees included Jessica Bravo, Fabiola Esquivel, Jackie Fajdich, David Knapp, Isaac Reed and Jasmine Spears.
Nurse Leader of the Year: Gina Tucker
Nominees included Michael Cullinan, Julia Duncan, Jenna Kennedy, Rachel Krabbe, Norman Lazo and Melissa Platt.
Nurse of the Year: Krystel Raheem
Nominees included Holden Andrade, Donna Hoswell, Kristyn Kilcoyne, Michelle Liguras, Tori Mascolino, Karoline Pirko and Richard Urbanowski.
Funding Nursing Excellence
The Nursing Excellence Awards are funded by the Franciscan Health Foundation’s Nursing Excellence Fund, which was created to enhance the nursing experience at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields. The fund is supported primarily through the donations of Franciscan Health coworkers and can be used to pay for such important professional development items as clinical education opportunities, certifications and speaker honorariums.
“We know that a confident, well-trained nurse makes a permanent impression with our patients,” says Laurie Crosby, executive director of the Franciscan Health Foundation/South Suburban Chicago. “A great nurse equates to great care. Patients tend to remember exemplary nursing care, and that’s really what The Nursing Excellence Fund is all about.
“Nurses and students from outside Franciscan take notice of how we treat our clinical professionals, and perhaps they’ll think of joining Franciscan in the future.”
Franciscan Health always looks to the future… because you never know when you are going to need the services of a talented, compassionate nurse.