The dictionary defines excellence as "outstanding merit or quality." Looking at the results from the 2006 ajcjobs Celebrating Nurses Awards, we can be a lot more specific.
In nursing, excellence cuts across many ages, specialties, levels of experience and roles. It can take the form of a big-city ICU nurse explaining medical jargon to an anxious family or a smalltown triage nurse reaching out to a fearful, pregnant woman. From so many stories and tributes, our judges heard that the nominated nurses call on the science of their training and the compassion in their hearts to meet people's needs, time and time again.
We're proud to congratulate this year's 10 Celebrating Nurses Awards finalists: Glenda Adams, RN, Family Practice Associates in Folkston; Ann Bonislawski, RN, Lilburn Elementary School in Gwinnett County; Bettye Cantrell, RN, Southern Home Care Services in Henry County; Dawn Carver, RN, BSN, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; Todd Crim, RN, Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta; Billie Davis, RN, BSN, M.Ed., Newnan Hospital; Cindy Deminsky, RN, OCN, Atlanta Cancer Care; Tom Plante, RN, WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta; Cynthia Shell, RN, BSN, CHPN, Portsbridge Hos- pice in Fayetteville; and Connie Whittington, RN, MSN, ONC, Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
Look for profiles and photos of the finalists in the Celebrating Nurses special section, to be published in the AJC on May 7. Three Nurses of Excellence winners will be named at the Celebrating Nurses Awards banquet on May 10. You'll be able to read more about the winners in the ajcjobs section on May 14 and in next month's Pulse.
This year, Georgia nurses have another major milestone to celebrate during National Nurses Week, May 6-12. On April 18, the governor signed into law SB 480, giving Georgia's advanced practice registered nurses prescriptive privileges.
This issue of Pulse takes you behind the scenes of the grassroots effort and legislative maneuvering that finally achieved victory for the "right to write" campaign. The legislation allows APRNs to practice to the full extent of their training and is expected to offer better access to health care for Georgia residents.
Those are tremendous reasons to celebrate!
Finally, this month's cover story takes a look at mentoring programs in three Georgia hospitals, the benefits mentoring brings to the nursing profession and the valuable support it offers to new nurses. If you'd like to become a mentor, the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future has partnered with the University of Michigan on the GEM-Nursing Program. GEM-Nursing - which stands for Group E-Mentoring - is an innovative, multiregional, Web-based mentoring program that matches experienced nurses with nursing students, new nurses and people interested in the profession.
Started in 2003 with the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau, the Web site offers young people the opportunity to talk with nurses across the country. This is your chance to help ease the nursing shortage on a one-on-one level. For information, visit www.gem-nursing.org.
- Do you have any story ideas for Pulse? We'd love to hear more about your career and what you do after hours. Send e-mail to pulseeditor@ajc.com or call 404-526-2078.