Nursing professionals were honored for their leadership and contributions at Baton Rouge General’s annual Nurse Excellence Awards Ceremony and Banquet on May 11 at the Renaissance Hotel.
The nurses recognized at this year’s banquet wear many hats during their shifts – from one-on-one training with employees, to jumping in when a patient is coding, to meeting with executives about how to improve the discharge planning process.
“Nursing is a calling, and one of the greatest opportunities for service that anyone can choose. Our nurses are there when life begins, when it ends, and for the many challenging moments in between,” said Monica Nijoka, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care at BRG. “By touching the lives of patients and their families in this way, Baton Rouge General’s nurses elevate their profession to the highest degree. The gift of nursing comes with taking ownership of your calling, and the skill of nursing excellence comes with giving it away.”
BRG’s 2018 Nurse Excellence Award winners are:
-Non-Traditional Nurse of the Year (tie)—Adriane Ruggiero, RN, nursing manager of endoscopy, and Margie Sevier, RN, house supervisor of nursing services
-Rookie of the Year – Heather Sullivan, RN, critical care
-Patient Care Associate of the Year – Jacob Way, PCA, oncology
-Edith LoBue Leadership Award (tie)--Wanda Hughes, RN, PhD, director of patient safety and quality, and Jobe Nasca, RN, nursing manager of critical care
-Traditional Nurse of the Year – Misty Rabalais, RN, emergency department
-Baton Rouge General Nursing Hall of Fame – Brenda Brown, RN, BSN, Retiree
-Nursing Scholarship Recipient – Adriane Ruggiero, RN, nursing manager of endoscopy
ICU nurse Meredith Cooper, BSN, RN, CCRN, was also recognized for being named the Louisiana Hospital Association’s Clinical Practice Nurse of the Year in March. Nominations were submitted by peers, leaders, and in some cases, entire departments.
BRG was recently the only hospital in Baton Rouge to receive the Healthgrades 2018 Patient Safety Excellence Award, ranking in the top ten percent of hospitals across the country for patient safety. BRG was also named #1 in Greater Baton Rouge for Overall Medical Care by CareChex for 2015, 2016, and 2017, was named in the top 2% of hospitals nationwide for Overall Medical Care by CareChex in 2017 and received the Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades in 2016.
Pictured at the awards event, left to right, were Monica Nijoka, Brenda Brown, and JoAnn Lappin.