Resolve to honor a special nurse

It happens every spring. My nurse friends see The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s coverage of the AJC Celebrating Nurses awards or they read stories about the winners in the June issue of Pulse.

They’re excited to see nurses receive recognition for what they do and to see the profession honored. If they went to the awards banquet, they’ll tell me about how the experience touched them. Then they’ll sigh with regret and tell me they wish they had nominated a particular co-worker. It seems we all know nurses who stand out in our hearts and minds.

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BARRY WILLIAMS / Special

Mary Anne Newkirk was one of the three winners at last year’s Celebrating Nurses banquet.

I’ll hear people say, “She’s an incredible nurse and so deserving of recognition,” “I meant to send in a nomination, but I just never got around to it,” or “Next year, I’m going to nominate so-and-so, who has been such an inspiration to everyone in our unit. You wouldn’t believe what he does. “

I do believe it and so do our judges, who have read an increasing number of impressive nominations for the past three years. Last year they had the challenging task of choosing 10 finalists from a list of 305 strong entries.

Our nurses of excellence have come from various specialties and work settings from all over the state. We’ve honored nurse educators, bedside and ICU nurses, doctor’s office nurses, school nurses, hospice nurses, advanced practitioners and nurse managers. Each has been outstanding in his or her own way, but in talking to the nominees every year, I’ve noticed one common thread. All express surprise and deep gratitude that someone — a patient, a patient’s family, a colleague or a friend — would think enough of them and their work to write and tell us about it.

So — since January is the time for new beginnings and resolutions — let me make a suggestion. This year, why not actually sit down and nominate your special nurse, the one who went above and beyond his or her normal duties in 2008; the one whose skills, knowledge and compassion made a difference. It will make you feel good and your colleague feel wonderful — and that beats regrets any day.

We’ve even made it easy. You can fill out the nomination form online by going to Celebrating Nurses.

The deadline for nominations is Feb. 27.

The judges will choose 10 finalists to be honored at the Celebrating Nurses awards banquet on May 6 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Ticket information will be available on the Web site soon. I hope to see you at the event.

We at Pulse wish you a very happy and healthy new year.

- 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.