Gold Standards
Recognize the contributions of a colleague with a Nursing Excellence Nomination

By Carol Bradley, MSN, RN, California Editor
December 3, 2001

Sometimes as nurses, we take what we do each day for granted. In a recent conversation with a woman, I was reminded that patients do not take us for granted. No one appreciates nurses more than someone who has, fortunately or unfortunately, found themselves in need of our services.

In this instance, the woman had become intimately familiar with nurses due to an acute health crisis that resulted in multiple hospitalizations. In our conversation, she eloquently articulated what it was that nurses did for her and how she valued their vital role in reclaiming her health. She is now back to work as a writer and in the process of thanking those nurses by writing about their work and the importance of our profession's contribution to society. Recognition comes in many forms.

Recognizing the contributions of nurses is an important value of NURSEWEEK, too. One of the most important activities that NURSEWEEK sponsors is the annual Nursing Excellence Awards, which recognizes outstanding nurses for their professional achievements and contributions to nursing throughout California. There is no question that this event is a favorite of mine and the most rewarding of all the professional activities that I participate in on behalf of NURSEWEEK.

Next year's event is scheduled for April 12 in Los Angeles. The success of this event depends on you and the support of our nursing community. You and your colleagues are the ones who know best where we can find those nurses to recognize at this ceremony. We need your help to find those special nurses whose work deserves celebration and has earned a spotlight.

Once again, we will recognize nurses in the following areas: advancing the profession, clinical care, community service, innovation, leadership, mentoring, patient advocacy and teaching. We would like to have more than 500 nominations for our selection committee to review.

Please help us by nominating one of the special nurses you know. Anomination form will be available in this issue of NURSEWEEK (see Page XX), as well as on our Web site at www.nurseweek.com. The deadline for nominations is March 1. However, please send your nominations in early.

Most important, I want to tell you about our special goal for next year's event.

We would like to use the 2002 event to involve, inform and engage the health care community as well as the public about nursing. We want to provide a showcase for the diverse and vital roles that nurses play in today's society. We hope that we will have your support, as well as help from your employer, nursing organizations and others interested in and concerned about health care in California.

Next year, while we expect the room once again to be packed with exceptional nurses from across the state, we also would like to have representatives from the health care industry, our state government and others who can bear witness to and help us celebrate the wonders of nursing. It is about time that we shared our stories with others.

It will be a night to remember. With your help, next year's celebration of nursing will be all that we hope it can be.

©NurseWeek Publishing