Nurses honored for compassionate leadership, teamwork at Nurses Month ceremony

May 12, 2022
Cayla MacLeanNurses at Lawrence General Hospital don’t often have time to take breaks, but on May 12, 2022, many were able to pause for a hard-earned recognition ceremony as part of the hospital’s 2022 Nurses Month events.

The awards, organized by nursing leadership, followed a weeklong nomination period in which nurses were able to recognize their peers in categories including Novice Nurse, Compassionate Nurse, Team Nursing and Clinical Leadership. A Nurse of the Year honor was also extended to Cayla Maclean (pictured).

“The moral distress and injury the pandemic has caused is palpable and has not gone unnoticed by me or the leaders of LGH. Throughout this pandemic, nurses continuously answered the call, but to live well through a pandemic, our moral stories have to be witnessed to be normalized,” said Interim Chief Nursing Officer Anthony Alley, MSN, RN, also the hospital’s vice president of quality and safety and chief quality officer.

“If I’ve learned anything about LGH this year, it’s that we may bend but we’ll never break,” he added. “The resiliency the nurses have shown during the pandemic is inspiring. It has been a privilege to serve alongside of you.”

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S NURSING RECOGNITION AWARD WINNERS

NOVICE NURSE: SARAH TURNER, H4
WHAT COLLEAGUES SAY ABOUT HER: “Sarah has blown me away with how knowledgeable and composed she is as a new grad. Sarah has recently transitioned to charge nurse less than a year after becoming an RN. Her coworkers rely on her for her expertise. She is always optimistic and a joy to work with. She has a bright future ahead of her.”

COMPASSIONATE NURSE: CAYLA MACLEAN, EMERGENCY CENTER
WHAT COLLEAGUES SAY ABOUT HER: “Cayla (is) always positive, always willing to help, and calm and caring in every situation. Many patients and staff members have stated how compassionate, caring, and educated Cayla is. Cayla loves the job and I love working alongside her!”

CLINICAL LEADERSHIP: TINA PEEL, LABOR AND DELIVERY
WHAT COLLEAGUES SAY ABOUT HER: “Tina is one of those nurses who ALWAYS goes the extra mile for her colleagues as well as her patients. She has independently taken leadership courses, does the very complex schedule for L&D, serves on the unit-based practice committee, mentors others every chance she gets, and supports her leadership team in all quality improvement initiatives. We'd be lost without her!”

TEAM NURSING: WOUND CARE TEAM OF DANIELLE PALEN AND TRACEY DUSHAME
WHAT COLLEAGUES SAY ABOUT THEM: “Danielle and Tracey are the best! They are both always available to answer questions and re-educate where needed. They always make me feel like the questions I ask are meaningful.”

NURSE OF THE YEAR, CAYLA MACLEAN, EMERGENCY CENTER

The Recognition Awards were the latest in a series of events during the second week of Nurses Month. Two more weeks follow to close out the month: May 16-20 will focus on professional development, while May 23-27 celebrate community engagement, Alley said.