The Best Staff
BWH has the very best nursing staff and is proud of nurses’ many achievements. Each month, BWH Nurse recognizes some of these achievements here. If you or your nurse colleague gains a promotion, earns a new degree or certification or receives an award, please let us know at bwhnurse@partners.org
Degrees and Professional Certifications
Tonya Campbell, MSN, RN, of 15CD, in May graduated from Simmons College with her MSN, Adult Nurse Practitioner.
Petra Clark, BSN, RNC, of Radiology, became certified in Radiology nursing in May.
Deidre Devaux, MSN, RN, of the PACU, graduated in May from Salem State College with her master’s of science in nursing education.
Anne-Marie Doyle, BSN, RNC, of CWN 8, in June received her certification from the National Certification Corporation as an inpatient obstetric nurse.
Donna Gadney, MSN, RN, of CWN 10, received her MSN from UMass Worcester with a concentration in primary care, ambulatory care and community health.
Yolanda Harmuth RN, BSN, CCAP, joined a small but growing number of nurses who are certified as M technique and aromatherapy practitioners in February after she completed the two-year course, Aromatherapy for Healthcare Professionals, offered by the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J. The Massachusetts Board of Nursing acknowledges aromatherapy as an integrative care treatment modality provided appropriate credentials are obtained.
Margaret Higgins, MSN, RN, 7AB nurse educator, received her master’s degree in nursing administration from Salem State College.
Gary McNabb, BSN, RN, of 10AB, earned a BSN from Regis College in May.
Kate Melhus, MSN, RN, of 11C/Thoracic Surgery ICU, graduated from the UMass Boston with her master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner this spring.
Daphney Merveille, BSN, RN, NIC of Tower 8AB, graduated magna cum laude with a BSN from UMass Boston.
Corrine Miller-Foster, RN, of the ED, was certified as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Adult/Adolescent (SANE-A). This certification is valuable both in medicine and the legal system as it demonstrates Miller-Foster’s commitment to SANE specialty practice, according to the certifying body, the International Association of Forensic Nurses.
Karen Fitzpatrick-Morrison, MSN, RN, of Tower 8AB, earned her MSN from UMass Boston, and she is sitting for the geriatric nurse practitioner exam this summer.
Katherine Schade, MSN, RN, FNP-C, of Tower 8AB, graduated from Regis College with a MSN in May, and she successfully passed the AANP exam.
Kristin Alt Styer, MSN, RN, of the PACU, graduated from Northeastern University with her master’s of science in nursing administration in May.
Awards
Beth Melanson, BSN, RN, BC, of the MICU, was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau’s International Honor Society of Nursing in April.
Ellen Sullivan, BSN, RN, CPAN, NIC of the PACU, in April received the President’s Award from the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses (ASPAN). Each year, the ASPAN president selects one individual to recognize for outstanding service and contributions to ASPAN and to the profession of nursing. It is the highest honor that ASPAN bestows on a member.
Susan Toto, BSN, RN, of Tower 8AB, received a Haley Scholarship to study for her master’s degree at Boston College.
Professional Appointments
Hallie S. Greenberg, MS-PREP, RN, C, nurse educator, was elected to the steering council for the Massachusetts Pain Initiative.
Daphney Merveille, BSN, RN, will teach a health assessment and a wound care course in a nurse continuing education program at Northeastern University this fall.
Nicole Pignatone, BSN, RN, NIC on Tower 8AB, was named a clinical instructor at Boston College and will host a practicum for nursing students on 8AB.
Pamela Wickett, BSN, RN, CCCE, clinical instructor and neonatal resuscitation program instructor, in May became an adjunct professor for Quincy College’s LPN program.
Posters, Presentations and Research
Nine BWH nurses, managers, nurse educators and PAs teamed up for a poster presentation and took home the second place prize from the 2007 National Association of Orthopedic Nurses in St. Louis, Mo., in May. The team included: Katrina Bickerstaff, BSN, RN, CAPA, CPAN; Paula Criscuolo, BSN, RN; Lisa Lauritzen, RN, ONC; Barbara DiTullio, MA, RN; Susan Vargas, AD, RN; Ann Leary, BSN, RNC; Elizabeth Lynch, BS, PA-C; Pat Aylward, MSN, RN, CCRN; and Mary Anne Murphy Kenyon, MPH, MS, RN. The interdisciplinary team created a professional practice poster titled, “Interventions for Maintaining Skin Integrity in the Patients Undergoing Total Knee Repair Across the Continuum of Care During Hospitalization.”
Virginia Silva, MSN, RNC, FNP-C, coordinator of fetal therapy and clinical educator, of the Center for Labor and Birth, in May presented, “Maternal Complications of Fetal Cardiac Interventions: A View from the Other Side of the Womb,” for the International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society in Aruba. Silva also presented, “Fetal Surgery: The New Frontier,” to the Connecticut chapter of the National Association of Perianesthesia Nurses in May at Yale University.
Kristin Alt Styer, MSN, RN, CPAN, PACU chair of Clinical Practice Committee, published her paper, “The Development of a Unit-Based Practice Committee: A Form of Shared Governance,” in the Association of Operating Room Nurses Journal in July.
Colleen Zidik, BSN, MBA, RN, quality program manager for Hematology/Oncology/BMT; Debra Moody, BSN,RN, NIC of 5B; and Martie Carnie, AD, PFAC, presented, “Maximizing Positive Patient Outcomes through the Care Improvement Team: A Partnership with Patients and Staff,” at the third international conference on Patient-and-Family-Centered Care: Partnerships for Enhancing Quality and Safety in July in Seattle.