Health care organizations often receive awards for the quality of the care they give to patients. In April, 16 health care workplaces were honored for how they value their employees in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s 2012 edition of Metro Atlanta’s Top 100 Workplaces.

This summer, a great way to support nursing will hit the streets — a new specialty nurse license plate. “This is a great way to honor nursing, whether you are a nurse, know a nurse, like a nurse or just respect the profession,” said Georgia Barkers, Ed.

“Snapshots” was the word that came to mind after attending the seventh annual ajcjobs Nursing Excellence Awards luncheon last month. Everywhere I looked in the record crowd of 476, people were taking photos of nurses and their families, friends and co-workers.

When she’s not taking care of medical/surgical patients at Northside Hospital-Forsyth, Kyle Offermann can be found sewing in her home studio. A nurse for almost seven years, she also owns a new business, Just T-shirt Quilts. Working at a hospital and running a business at the same time can get hectic.

Age: 48

Occupation: Manager, Nursing Resources, DeKalb Medical

What I’m wearing: “Sweater by Zegna, raincoat by Prada, pants and belt by Ted Baker, shoes by Barker Black.”

Signature style: “Contemporary. Everything depends on my mood. Of course, comfort is a must.

Pediatric physical therapist Marc Castelo has always used music in his work. He has seen rhythms encourage a developmentally delayed toddler to crawl and walk. He’s also used music to entertain, distract and teach older kids. “Music is such a great motivator that makes therapy more fun for the child and therapist,” said Castelo, MPT, co-owner of Play 2 Grow, a child development and therapy play center.

Job: Registered nurse on the orthopedic floor at Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge. What I do: “I mostly receive surgical patients from the recovery unit, who may have just had a total joint replacement.” How I got into this: “Throughout nursing school, I worked for a local orthopedic office, and loved the physician I worked under.

Nancy McCabe, a doctoral student at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, has been named a 2012 Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar by the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence. The Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar program provides tuition support for nurses pursuing doctoral degrees.

July 21 “Exploring Careers in Legal Nurse Consulting,” an American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants Atlanta Chapter regional conference, will be from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Peachtree Conference Center in Peachtree City. Topics will include health care consulting in the legal industry, managing personal-injury claims, landing a law firm job and others.

Which is the highest-paying nursing specialty, with an annual median annual salary of $156,815, according to salary.com? A. Nurse researcher B. Nurse practitioner C. Pediatric endocrinology nurse D. Certified nurse anesthetist Answer: D

In 1982 the United States Congress designated a National Recognition Day for nurses. On what date is it celebrated each year?

In 1873, someone became the first person to earn a nursing diploma in the United States. Who was she?

A. Linda Richards B. Florence Nightingale C. Clara Barton D. Carla Espinosa

Answer: A

Alecia James took a roundabout path to the pharmacy field but once she chose to enter the profession, she set a direct course for Mercer University in Atlanta. “Mercer was my first choice,” said James, a Hampton, Va., native who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2003 and worked as a social worker for seven years.

In May, ajcjobs and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and will hold the seventh annual Celebrating Nurses event, where we will honor this year’s 10 Nursing Excellence Award winners. For several months, an independent panel of judges has read nominations sent in by patients, families and co-workers.

Is Margaret C. Wilmoth daunted to be the first dean of the newly reorganized Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions at Georgia State University? Hardly. When Wilmoth, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, saw the posting for the position, it spoke to her, she said.

2010 was a big year for Stacey Tatroe. She earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of West Georgia and also patented a design for nursing scrubs. Tatroe’s fashion foray has a serious purpose. She took a pair of plain, gray scrubs and transformed them into a point of pride by using acrylic pink paint and rubber stamps to print RN all over them.

Like many nurses, Stacy Szucs and Kim Farr came to work in case management after long and varied careers. They have found it to be a dynamic and growing role that is changing them and their nursing practice. Case managers offer ongoing support, expertise and coordinated care for patients with complicated health needs.

From her first clinical rotation in nursing school, Deborah Watkins Bruner was drawn to oncology patients. “Standing as a young student in the ICU watching patients on monitors at life’s end was my first experience with death and dying. As a nurse, I wondered how to make that experience as best as possible,” said Bruner, associate director of cancer outcomes research at Winship Cancer Institute, professor of radiation oncology at Emory’s School of Medicine and professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

Job: Family nurse practitioner with Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic What I do: “Assess and manage acute and chronic allergy, asthma and immunology disease processes in the pediatric, adult and geriatric populations. Evaluate and manage care of patients receiving immunotherapy.

A bill that would have changed professional licensing procedures in Georgia was withdrawn by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp in February. Sen. Bill Hamrick, R-Carrollton, introduced Senate Bill 445, which was pitched as a way to streamline the system of issuing more than 450,000 licenses, including nurses and other health care professionals, and to speed up procedures to hear complaints against professionals.

April 22-25 The Georgia Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses section conference will be at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort on St. Simons Island. The conference will feature sessions about public cord blood banking, IHI perinatal improvement, leadership and charge nurse roles, the childbirth connection blueprint and others.

Night is when everything slows down. It’s peaceful, calm, quiet and everyone sleeps, right? If that’s what you think, you’ve never worked a hospital night shift. “Sometimes I’ll look out in the lobby and there will be 25 people out there and I’ll think we’re never going to make it,” said Vicki Lyons, a staff and charge nurse at WellStar Douglas Hospital in Douglasville.

This month I had an eye-opening conversation with Vickie Milazzo, a nurse, legal nurse consulting pioneer, CEO of the Vickie Milazzo Institute and author of “Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman” (John Wiley & Sons, 2011). Why “wicked,” I wanted to know, thinking of green witches and the popular Broadway play.

As a physical therapist assistant, Will Boatwright can relate to some of his patient’s injuries. A torn knee-joint ligament, sprained ankles, a dislocated shoulder, hand injuries, assorted bumps and bruises — he’s suffered from them all.

Five years ago, Cindy Burrell became the clinical educator for a five-member central staffing unit that works in the intensive care, emergency and medical/surgical units as needed at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. “Now I’m responsible for the orientation, education and certification for 70 nurses, but I love it,” said Burrell, RN, CPN.