Know a Great Nurse?
Celebrate your champions of care with a Nursing Excellence nomination

By Joellen Koerner, Ph.D., MSN, RN
Midwest Edition Editor
September 17, 2001

James Bond was faced with insurmountable challenges and always emerged from impossible missions a hero. He had the advantage of incredible gadgets, superhuman strength and a few stuntmen to take the risks. The wonders of the media never cease to thrill and amaze an audience looking for adventure and a "happily ever after" ending.

NurseWeek has been built on the mission to "serve as the voice of nurses and the nursing profession." Instead of movie stars, we have consistently featured the real stars of life who work in the wonderfully messy and complex world of health care.

Specifically, we put the spotlight on nurses who perform miracles through the application of exquisite competence laced with care and compassion. While each patient episode may not end happily, each illness or emergency offers the opportunity for healing of spirit and soul.

One year ago, NurseWeek expanded its distribution to the Midwest. Did you know that the Midwest edition, serving 10 heartland states, is the largest of NurseWeek's five regional editions, which reaches more than 1 million registered nurses in 28 states? Did you realize that gives NurseWeek the largest BPA-audited circulation to RNs of any publication in the world? We live in a large geographic space, and when you put us all together, we create a formidable force.

To realize our mission, NurseWeek goes beyond filling the magazine with current information, continuing education and practice tips. We also fund research that helps the health care field better understand the needs, interests and issues of practicing nurses through initiatives such as the partnership study with the American Organization of Nurse Executives Institute for Patient Care Research and Education, which this fall will survey nurses about their career plans and attitudes toward the nursing profession.

We also feature nurses who have accomplished exciting achievements in our Faces & Places department. This gives you a format for networking and identifying best practice clinicians who can help expand your own view of what is possible.

Finally, NurseWeek is working to celebrate the accomplishments and good work of nurses through its Nursing Excellence Awards program. Since its inception in 1999, NurseWeek has honored nearly 300 RNs in gala awards ceremonies in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Dallas. Next year, NurseWeek will bring the program to the Midwest, culminating in an awards dinner in March in Chicago. We invite you to participate in this awards program by nominating a favorite nurse. You can read about award winners from other regions, and find more details about the program, along with information about how to submit nominations, at www.nurseweek.com/excel/nominate.asp.

Funding for this vast agenda comes primarily from Midwest hospitals and other health care organizations that purchase advertising, career fair booths and educational products offered by NurseWeek. Unfortunately, our revenue from the Midwest has not met projections and so adjustments are necessary in our agenda for the coming year. A difficult decision was made to return to a bimonthly distribution, as when NurseWeek first came to this region, rather than to reduce the magazine's quality. That means that you will receive the magazine every other month until support builds to the point experienced in other regions of the country.

Meanwhile, you still have access to the wonderful material being created in our other regions by visiting our Web site, where our editorial content and job postings are constantly refreshed. This way, we can continue to support the incredible work you are doing each day, while providing print copy every other month. Compromise and creativity are the best tools to deal with the economic realities of our time and meet our mission, too. Who needs Agent 007 when NurseWeek maintains such commitment to the nurses in the region? Together, we will continue to provide the best, most contemporary care possible.

©NurseWeek Publishing