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Specialty programs are in place for ICU, telemetry, medical/surgical, labor and delivery, postpartum, pediatrics, NICU, ED, OR, and psychiatry, and the annual retention rate for these RNs is an incredible 93%.

Revero meets weekly with her charges, holds social events at her home for them, makes rounds on both shifts to check on them, and is always available by beeper. She advocates on their behalf and makes sure they “fit” in their chosen area of practice. With her multicolored pens and CareMap to keep everyone on track, she is described by her nominators as attentive, friendly, soothing, caring, motivating, knowledgeable, honest, nonjudgmental, and a terrific listener. “She has done a great job in getting the program up and running at Little Company of Mary,” a preceptor said, “and it is appreciated by the staff in general.”

Patient Advocacy

Susan Carson, RN, MSN, CPNP
Nurse Practitioner, Care Manager,
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Susan Carson said she chose nursing because “unlike medicine, I would be working more closely with the whole patient and family, not just focusing on one aspect of their disease.” Her fellow NPs, Debbie Harris (last year’s Patient Advocacy winner) and Trish Peterson, said of her, “She has done an extraordinary job advocating for her [thalassemia] patients at her hospital, in her state, and nationally.”

Some examples of this include: developing the Southern California Thalassemia Management Guide-lines to help providers give better care to their patients, starting the Thalassemia Nurses Network to share information with other institutions, and attending and speaking at conferences worldwide. She is working on an educational pamphlet that will include the drawings she does when she is teaching families about thalassemia.

Carson is also involved in research, such as assessing the benefits of using MRIs to monitor iron overload instead of painful liver biopsies. Carson’s job satisfaction comes primarily from working with her patients over such a long period of time.

“I love the fact … that I get to know them and their families so well; [I love] the trust we build up. I love it when I see them taking over for themselves and becoming their own advocates. And I love the fact that I get to learn something new every day, not just from my colleagues but from my patients as well.”

Teaching

Elizabeth Martin, RN, CPON,
Charge Nurse, Staff Nurse 3,
Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center

Elizabeth Martin credits her mother, an RN, with teaching her that “nursing requires you to bring everything to the experience — hands, head, and heart.” Acting as the day shift charge nurse on a busy pediatric acute care unit, Martin “loves to teach,” said her nominator, Swanthi Samarak-kody. “Her vision … is to create an environment where we … teach each other what each of us knows best and support and care for each other’s well-being.” Martin said, “Working closely with other disciplines — child life, social work, physicians — has made me a better nurse.”

Martin is developing an educational program about palliative and end-of-life care; she is an editor for the hospital newsletter, Pediatric News You Can Use, and regularly conducts classes for new hires and current staff.

“The children and their families are amazing,” Martin said. “Their courage in the face of adversity and their trust in our care inspires me daily.” She is energized by the diversity of caring for newborns to adolescents. She respects the religious, cultural, and socioeconomic needs of patients and makes sure her staff knows each child’s medical history, plan of care, and special needs.

Samarakkody called Martin “a major strength to our unit” as it undergoes some big changes. Martin is thankful that “everybody has the obligation and opportunity to teach and learn in equal amounts.”

Pat McFarland, RN, MS
30-year nursing veteran — and night’s keynote speaker —
earns lifetime achievement award

The Diane F. Cooper Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Pat McFarland, RN, MS, a nationally recognized nurse leader and speaker, at NurseWeek’s fifth annual Nursing Excellence gala dinner Nov. 5. It is awarded to nurses who have contributed to nurses and nursing throughout their career.

Named in honor of Diane Cooper, who died in 1995 and who was the twin sister of Dennis Riordan, founder of NurseWeek, the award has been presented only three times in its five-year history. Before her untimely death, Cooper was the undergraduate dean of admissions at UCLA School of Nursing. She is said to have been the driving force in the creation of NurseWeek.

When called to the stage to accept the award, McFarland said, “I don’t even know what to say except thank you.” She thanked her father who passed away this summer. “He always wanted me to be a nurse; it was he that set my journey, and he’d be so proud. Thank you,” she said.

When interviewed after the event, McFarland elaborated on the inspiring role that her father played in her nursing journey. He had been a medic during World War II and “held nurses in the highest regard.” She said that both of her parents made sure she attained her goal of becoming a nurse.

At 10 years old, McFarland experienced nursing on a personal level when she entered the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. She remembers being thrilled to meet the “nurses with different colored uniforms and different initials on their hats.” This early encounter with nurses also put her on the path of nursing.

Originally intending to be a pediatric ICU nurse, she said, “Every time one of these beautiful little people died, a part of me died. I knew I did not have what it took.”

In graduate school, she began studying the special needs of elderly patients. With a grandmother who lived to 102 and a dad who was “the youngest 87-year-old I have ever met,” McFarland said she has had great role models to help her understand the aging process.

She has held both clinical and administrative nursing jobs, written articles, given speeches, and testified frequently before policy-making bodies on nursing issues.

As Judee Berg, vice president of professional services for NurseWeek/ Nursing Spectrum, California, said at the awards dinner, “Her professional network is huge and she is usually able to produce profound outcomes with a simple phone call or message to the right person.”

A 30-year veteran of nursing, McFarland is the executive director of the Association of California Nurse Leaders and executive officer of the California Nursing Students’ Association. She is also the administrator and financial manager of the California Nursing Outcomes Coalition.

Her future goals include increasing the number of nursing schools in California, addressing the nursing shortage, and motivating nurses to become better educated and to help the next generation of nurses grow within the profession.

She says she was “truly honored” and “totally blown away” to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. From the looks of it, she is not done achieving.

Michelle Paolucci is the managing editor and Betsy Bannerman is a freelance writer for NurseWeek.

To comment on this story, send e-mail to editorca@nurseweek.com.

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