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Beebe Healthcare Congratulates the 2016 Nursing Excellence Award Recipients And Celebrates National Nursing Week

Beebe Healthcare congratulates the Nursing Excellence Award recipients and recognizes May 6-12 at National Nurses Week.

Nurses are the lifeblood of a healthcare system in that they have the unique opportunity to touch patients at every level of care.

“Beebe Healthcare is proud to celebrate the role our nurses play in delivering the highest level of quality and patient experience for patients,” said Jeffrey M. Fried, FACHE, President & CEO, Beebe Healthcare. “All of us at Beebe recognize the essential role our nurses play in our care delivery system. They are at the bedside 24 hours a day, caring for patients in their homes, working in the physician offices and other ambulatory settings, and engaging individuals through our Population Health efforts to help them eliminate obstacles that prevent them from becoming more involved and responsible for their own health. We couldn’t do what we do each day, caring for our community, without our nurses. Our nurses take great pride in what they do to make Beebe Healthcare the outstanding healthcare system it is today.”

The Nurses Celebrating Nurses Committee presented the Nursing Excellence Awards Tuesday, May 10, at Sussex Pines Country Club in Georgetown. The event brought together many of the nursing leaders at Beebe Healthcare.

The guest speaker was Joseph DeRanieri, DM, MSN, RN, BCECR, Executive Director of Orthopaedic Services at Beebe Healthcare.

Dr. DeRanieri has over 17 years of experience as a university professor and over 25 years of experience in healthcare finance and administration, in addition to extensive clinical experience. Dr. DeRanieri is considered an industry expert in Nursing, Health Care Administration, Finance, and Quality Management.

During his presentation, he shared images of nurses he met while in

Egypt, India, and Cambodia. “Nurses have a profound impact on not only their patients, but also those around them. No matter the conditions, nurses are ready to help,” said Dr. DeRanieri.

Award recipients were chosen from 31 nominations submitted earlier this year. Each application went through a blind scoring process with the final recipient being chosen based on the scoring.

The 2016 Beebe Nursing Excellence Award recipients were:

  • Tara Cooper, BSN, recipient of the Bonnie Austin Nursing Leadership Award
  • Pam Woods, RN, ACNS-BC, CEN, recipient of the Constance Bushey Nursing Scholarship Award
  • Lara Kwetkauskie, RN, BSN, CEN, TCRN, recipient of the Eleanor Cordrey Nursing Excellence Award
  • Charlene Madanat, CRNP, FNP- BC, MSN, recipient of the Holly Rader Advanced Practice Nursing Excellence Award
  • Dareth Penuel, RN, GRN, CNIV, recipient of the Professional Mentor Nursing Award
  • Brooke Talbot, RN, recipient of the Graduate Nurse Award

The Bonnie Austin Nursing Leadership Award recognizes nurses who serve as a resource for peers, clinical team members, students, and family members. This nurse fosters collaboration and encourages others to learn and develop professionally. This year’s recipient, Tara Cooper, engages team members to work together by sharing new ideas and ways to improve processes. Tara was nominated by four nurses, who said her work ethic not only increases productivity, but also improves patient and employee satisfaction.

The Eleanor Cordrey Nursing Excellence Award recognizes nurses who exhibit excellent clinical and critical thinking skills. This nurse shows a strong commitment to the nursing profession and applies patient-family centered care while utilizing a multidisciplinary team approach. This year’s recipient, Lara Kwetkauskie, shows proficiency with nursing skills and is dedicated to being in the right place at the right time. Lara was nominated by Julia Bayne, MSN, RN, who said Lara is a trusted mentor and unsung hero of her department.

The Constance Bushey Nursing Scholarship Award recognizes nurses who demonstrate a commitment to the nursing profession and lifelong learning. This nurse promotes a nurturing and supportive learning environment for other nurses, team members, and students. This year’s recipient, Pam Woods, clinical educator in Beebe’s Emergency Department, helped create a new review course for a trauma nurse certification. Nominator Jen Hargreaves, RN, said Pam also encouraged several of Beebe’s nurses to complete the certification, which they did successfully earlier this year.

The Holly Rader Advanced Practice Nursing Excellence Award recognizes nurses or nurse practitioners who exhibit excellent clinical skills in the holistic, patient-centered care of patients. This professional encourages others to strive for excellent outcomes and serves as a constant patient advocate. This year’s recipient, Charlene Madanat, possesses the ability to think critically in a time-sensitive environment, exercise professional and clinical judgment in every situation, and keeps the patient and family at the center of each decision. Her nominator, Casey Walsh, NP, said Charlene recognizes the importance of professional collaboration, and provides continuous encouragement to other nursing professionals to pursue higher education to provide the best care to patients and families.

The Professional Mentor Nursing Award recognizes a nurse that serves as a role model for the nursing profession. This nurse participates in the community, embraces the Beebe Healthcare values, and demonstrates dedication to the profession and organization.

This year’s recipient, Dareth Penuel, sets the example of what a professional nurse should be by exhibiting not only excellent clinical skills and critical thinking, but by setting a positive tone for the clinical setting. Nominator Margaret Porter, RN, Nurse Manager, said Dareth is a wonderful team member who is always approachable, positive, kind, friendly, caring, and helpful to others. Dareth is respected by all: Patients, peers, work team, and medical colleagues.

New this year, the Graduate Nurse Award recognizes a nurse who has recently passed the NCLEX exam and is employed in the nursing field. This is a nurse who exhibits exceptional clinical skills and leadership qualities, and is an advocate for patients and the nursing profession. This year’s recipient, Brooke Talbot, came to Beebe after completing her degree, and is following in the footsteps of her grandmother, who also worked at Beebe. Nominator Nicole Santarelli said during Brooke’s residency program, she presented an evidence-based project on improving Medication Education for patients. Her project was such an inspiration, that she was asked by the Hospital Board to make the project happen, and come back to present. For a new graduate to suggest this project, and follow through with it is quite an accomplishment, and the program is currently being used at Beebe.

Beebe Healthcare is a not-for-profit community healthcare system with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health for the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. It offers services throughout Southern Delaware for residents and visitors, including a 210-licensed-bed hospital, a cancer center, and outpatient facilities providing walk-in care, lab, imaging, and physical rehabilitation services. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebehealthcare.org.

Captions from top:
Shown accepting the Bonnie Austin Nursing Leadership Award is Tara Cooper, center, with Bonnie Austin, left, and past recipient Stephan Betins-Kinnamon, right.

Shown accepting the Constance Bushey Nursing Scholarship Award is Pam Woods, center, with Constance Bushey, left, and past winner, Julia Bayne, right.

Shown accepting the Professional Mentor Nursing Award is Dareth Penuel, center, with Allison Clobes, left, and past winner, Dianne Bane, right.

Shown accepting the Holly Rader Advance Practice Nursing Excellence Award is Charlene Madanat, center, with Holly Rader, left, and past winner, Bill Stanton, right.

Shown accepting the Eleanor Cordrey Nursing Excellence Award is Lara Kwetkauskie, center, with Eleanor Cordrey, left, and past winner, Phyllis Saunders, right.

Shown accepting the newly created Graduate Nurse Award is Brooke Talbot, center, with Liz Zehner, left, and Amy Linzey, right.