Now in it’s sixth year, the annual March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Awards drew a record crowd on Dec. 8, 2015 to honor outstanding Middle Tennessee nurses.
Rita Mitchell, executive vice president and manager of Private Client Services for First Tennessee Bank, chaired the gala event. Calling nurses the ‘heart’ of both March of Dimes and the entire healthcare industry, Mitchell said, “The awards process showcases the positive impact nurses have every day on so many lives and celebrates their accomplishments.”
Catherine Ivory, PhD, RN-BC, an assistant professor and nurse researcher at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, served as honorary chair and keynote speaker. Ivory, who represented more than 300,000 nurses nationwide as the 2014 president of the Association of Women’s Health, OB and Neonatal Nurses, noted, “At a time when the United States is in the throes of healthcare reform, nursing is on the frontlines as the largest segment of the healthcare system, and we’re considered by many to be not only the most trusted profession – as you heard earlier from Dan (emcee Dan Thomas of WSMV), – but to be essential to the health of the U.S. population by providing direct patient care, health promotion, patient education and care coordination.”
Referencing the fifth anniversary of the 2010 IOM Future of Nursing Report, Ivory added that events such as the Nurse of the Year Awards help raise the profile of nursing. “The more we promote our practice among colleagues in healthcare and colleagues in the community, the better our image becomes and the greater our chances to influence health policy and to influence health systems.”
Top honors were awarded to 17 nurses in 15 categories from more than 140 highly accomplished nominees who live out the mission of the March of Dimes to lead efforts that support children and families. In addition, one nurse was recognized for her outstanding volunteer work on behalf of the organization.
First Tennessee served as the event’s presenting sponsor and Lipscomb University School of Nursing as the gold sponsor. More than a dozen other organizations, including Nashville Medical News, also helped sponsor the awards and evening event.
Advanced Practice
Sponsored by Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Jane Kershaw, RN, IBCLC, RLC, BA
TriStar Centennial Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Kershaw has dedicated her practice to helping moms and babies succeed at breastfeeding. Early on in her nursing career, she pioneered the development of lactation services at her hospital and also helped negotiate the coverage of those services by insurance companies. Additionally, she has advocated not only for patient policies, but employer policies designed to protect, promote and support breastfeeding freedoms for staff. As Kershaw begins a new adventure … retirement … this latest award fittingly comes in recognition of a career that has spanned more than four decades and impacted thousands of lives.
Behavioral Health
Christina Cannon, RN
Mental Health Cooperative
Colleagues hail Cannon as an extraordinary psychiatric nurse who models to students, the healthcare team, patients, and families what it means to address the holistic needs of individuals who struggle with severe mental health issues in a trusting, non judgmental environment. Throughout her eight years in practice, Cannon’s efforts on behalf of her patients have resulted in improved medication adherence and better engagement with the healthcare system. Her strength as a provider comes from viewing each interaction, intervention, and collaboration as an opportunity to learn and grow both as a nurse and a person.
Critical Care
Sponsored by HighPoint Health System
Marcus Thompson, RN
Sumner Regional Medical Center
Although he has only been practicing for three years, Thompson has already established a sound work philosophy and skill set that has been noticed by others. The extra effort and perseverance it took to excel as both a nursing student and college athlete laid the foundation for the leadership traits he demonstrates in his career including an upbeat attitude, respect for patients and colleagues, problem-solving abilities, initiative and recognition of teamwork as the foundation for providing quality care. These attributes have positively impacted patients and families during a difficult time.
Emergency
Sponsored by CEP America
Kimberly Butler, RN
Sumner Regional Medical Center
The 2015 Emergency Nurse of the Year is described as the “embodiment of nursing – bright, efficient, unflappable.” Fearless when it comes to protecting her patients, Butler pushes for excellence but also offers plenty of praise along the way. Butler’s staff knows her expectations are high for everyone on the team … including herself. With 21 years of nursing experience and six years in the emergency department, Butler is most proud of helping further education and loves seeing patients benefit from lessons shared with colleagues.
General Medicine
Sponsored by NorthCrest Medical Center
Deidra Tidwell, RN-BC
TriStar Ashland City Medical Center
Over a 26-year career, the words ‘outstanding’ and ‘compassionate’ have often been used to describe this nursing leader with a heart for service. Her dedication to her staff and passion for those in her care have resulted in successful patient outcomes and enhanced employee engagement. Tidwell’s quest for excellence has been demonstrated not only in her achievement of a 4.0 GPA while caring for her family and working 12-hour shifts, but is also illustrated in her encouragement of others to hold steadfast to their career goals and her support in helping make those dreams come true.
Hospice & Palliative Care
Tammy Stokes, RN, BSN
Maury Regional Medical Center
Described as a tireless worker with a tender heart, Stokes goes ‘above and beyond’ when it comes to helping patients achieve end-of-life wishes. Through her leadership in palliative care, she has been able to promote a culture of change within the medical community and has been proactive in her outreach to underserved rural communities. Stokes encourages individuals to make end-of-life decisions before a crisis situation and helps families find peace in accepting and respecting those choices. Although her specialty field can be draining, Stokes finds great fulfillment in helping empower patients and families at the end of life.
Managed Care
Sponsored by Cigna HealthSpring
Melinda McMeans, RN
Amerigroup
Within her managed care organization, McMeans works with pregnant women who have substance abuse disorders, engaging the women through education and connecting them to local resources to improve outcomes for both the mother and child. Throughout her 25-year career, McMeans has been steadfast in her philosophy: “Never give up on what you believe to be the right thing to do and adjust to change without compromising your beliefs.” This cornerstone of her practice has led to healthier, brighter futures for those she serves.
Nursing Administration
Kim Parham, RN, SBN, CN-BN
Saint Thomas Health
Although her role as a nurse has changed during her three decades of practice, Parham’s passion for giving patients and staff members the hope and positive mindset needed to navigate the healthcare journey has remained constant. Today she uses that experience and desire to hire compassionate, flexible team members. With a detailed orientation and ongoing mentorship, Parham allows staff to work independently but encourages input from every member of the team to improve outcomes. Living her organization’s motto, Parham tells her team that ‘nothing shall be impossible’ for patients throughout the continuum of care.
Nursing Education
Sponsored by Belmont University College of Health Sciences & Nursing
Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT
Tennessee State University
Taking community and social responsibility has been part of Wilson’s nursing platform for more than 40 years and is a tenet the beloved professor passes along to her students. For the past seven years, Wilson has been widely recognized as a faculty member who makes a difference in the lives of nursing students by imparting wisdom and offering hands-on opportunities that showcase the importance of community service to the nursing profession. Wilson noted that she is a nurse first and with that in mind tries to lead by example, modeling her life in service to others.
Pediatric
Sponsored by Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Cheryl Major, RNC-NIC, BSN
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
With a wealth of nursing experience, Major continually seeks opportunities to provide education and to advocate for programming and services that prevent and address issues impacting the incidence and disparity in outcomes for babies. Her 42 years of practice have influenced the care of thousands of infants in Tennessee and around the globe through her work in Haiti and Kenya. As she embarks on retirement, the selection committee has chosen Major as the first repeat recipient in this category in honor of her work and legacy. She was initially honored in 2010, the inaugural year of the awards program.
Public & Community Health 1:
Sponsored by Amerigroup
Sharon Hendrix, RN, DNP, FNP-BC
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Hendrix has more than 40 years of nursing experience with 24 years in advanced practice. She addresses key public health issues by conducting workplace wellness programming to reduce the risk of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes in adult clients. Additionally, she teaches community health nursing and mentors students to address self-care in elderly adults living in lower income residential facilities. Hendrix is also developing a partnership with a food truck to expand services to a population that currently does not have ready access to healthy food options. Her multi-faceted efforts impact both the community and the nursing profession.
Public & Community Health 2:
Sponsored by Amerigroup
Jacque Cundall, RN, BSN
Tennessee Department of Health
Cundall has spent 43 of her 44 years in nursing addressing public health concerns. Tennessee’s newborn hearing screening and follow-up program wouldn’t exist today if Cundall had not taken the initiative and worked closely with hospitals, providers, parents and advocates to encourage screening at birth. To support her passion, Cundall developed new procedures, linkages for early intervention, referral networks, quality improvement projects, task forces, and grant funding. Under her leadership, more than 98 percent of Tennessee newborns receive a hearing screening in their first month, and 66 percent of infants with hearing loss are enrolled in early intervention programs by six months.
Quality & Risk Management
Sponsored by Hylant Group
Mary Lee Lemley, RN, MSN
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Lemley has been affecting positive change in the healthcare system for 20 years. Approachable and nonjudgmental, she brings pertinent scenarios to providers and facilities to improve the care of various patient populations and encourages team members to develop new skills, test systems, understand team roles, create solutions for the unexpected, and hone clinical reasoning in the environments where these critical skill sets will be put into practice. While recognizing that change isn’t always easy, Lemley knows transformation is both inevitable and exciting when coupled with the proper training.
Research
Sponsored by Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Todd Monroe, PhD, RN-BC, FNAP, FAAN
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Monroe’s research focuses on the critical need to improve pain management and detection in the cognitively impaired older adult. Recent accomplishments include publication of numerous articles in refereed journals, presentations at national meetings, and leadership of a team that has garnered national recognition on the topic of nursing care of the elderly. Calling on his 17 years of experience, Monroe is also active in mentoring undergraduate students and nurses to help them pursue graduate education and research activities.
Student Nurse of the Year: Undergraduate
Sponsored by Lipscomb University School of Nursing
Dereldia Clendening
Lipscomb University School of Nursing
Clendening was nominated for her compassion, as well as for displaying the strong leadership characteristics that are a vital component of the nursing profession. An outstanding student, she is busy honing her clinical skills. However, Clendening also believes many health issues can be better addressed in the community. As a result, she also is actively involved as a volunteer with a number of community education programs aimed at helping alleviate negative health outcomes and decrease disparities.
Student Nurse of the Year: Graduate
Sponsored by Lipscomb University School of Nursing
Jennifer Barut, PhD(c), MSN, RN-BC
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Barut is passionate about the mentally ill and has been recognized for her work by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. Throughout her 15-year nursing career, she has also been an outstanding scholar. Beginning in 1999 with an associate's degree, Barut successfully became a doctoral candidate in 2015. Thrilled to reach this personal goal, she said she is extremely grateful for the varied experiences in nursing – from the bedside, to the community, to various roles in nursing education – which she has enjoyed along the way.
Women’s Health
Sponsored by HCA/TriStar Health
Jessica Woods, RN, BSN
TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center
Woods has displayed leadership qualities throughout her five years of practice. The women’s health specialist is continually looking for ways to improve work processes to improve quality of care and optimize the team environment. Recently, Woods created a discharge checklist to help new employees ensure the correct documentation was completed prior to a patient leaving the medical center. The checklist has also helped normalize education to prepare new mothers to safely care for themselves and their new infants upon discharge. This is just one example of how Woods is positively impacting her patients and colleagues.
Distinguished Service to the March of Dimes
Cheryl Major, RNC-NIC, BSN
In addition to being named Pediatric Nurse of the Year, Cheryl Major was also honored for her tireless work on behalf of March of Dimes and living the organization’s mission.
Having started her career in an era when preterm babies almost certainly died, Major quickly became involved with a new unit at Vanderbilt that was working to revolutionize the way fragile infants were cared for – one of the very first NICUs in the nation. Over the ensuing decades, Major has been at the forefront of revolutionizing neonatal care across the state and in creating models that other states have adopted. She helped pioneer NICU regionalization and addressed transportation issues to ensure high-risk newborns could receive the best care in the right facility.
Thanks to her dedication, countless babies have been given a fighting chance.
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