The Best Staff

BWH 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

Erin Cassidy-Lunmann, RN, of 3BC, has received her CCRN recertification.

Lucille Dubois, BS, RN, of the CDIC Cardiovascular Recovery Room, earned her CCRN certification in January.

Theresa Kennedy, MSN, FNP, RN, CPAN, nurse practitioner in the Weiner Center for Preoperative Evaluation, earned her Certification in PeriAnesthesia Nursing (CPAN) in January.

Maureen Kent, RN, of CWN 9, officially became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

Donna McEachern, RN, of the Float Pool, earned her BSN from UMass Boston.

De'Ann McNamara

De’Ann McNamara, BSN, RN, nurse educator of Radiology, passed the radiology nursing certification exam to achieve her CRN in April.

Tami Rocchetta, BSN, RN, of the Float Pool, received her MSN from Simmons College.

Tomoko Takanashi, BSN, RN, staff nurse on 11BD, successfully passed her med-surg certification exam in May 2007.

Posters, Presentations and Publications

At the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses Conference in Nashville, Tenn., in March, Heidi Doucette, RN, CNRN, Margaret Gulley, BSN, RN, and Escel Stanghellini, MSN, RN, of 10CD, presented their poster, “Hourly patient safety rounds - do they make a difference?” Doucette and Maureen Gorman, RN, of 10CD, presented their poster, “Caring for the pregnant epileptic patient on a Long Term Monitoring unit: keeping mother and child safe.” Vincent M. Vacca, Jr., MSN, RN, CCRN, nurse educator of the Neuroscience ICU, presented two lectures, “Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus,” and “Paraplegia Associated with Aortic Surgery.” He also presented two posters: “Status Epilepticus Concerns in the Elderly,” and “Hereditary Angioedema Leading to Cerebral Edema.” Mary Pennington, RN, and Martha K. Jurchak, PhD, RN, presented, “Developing Moral Agency in the New ICU Nurse.”

Vincent Vacca

Deirdre Greene, MSN, RN, presented a poster at the Academy of Neonatal Nurses annual conference in Florida in April on the collaborative efforts of the NICU Family Advisory Council that resulted in the creation of the new Parent Handbook.

Patricia J. Kidik, RNCS, and Kathleen Holbrook, RNCS, nurse practitioner in the Weiner Center for Preoperative Evaluation, published “The Nurse Practitioner Role in Evidence-Based Medication Strategies” in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing in April.

Charlotte Messinger, RN, presented “Product Conversions Driven by Evidence-Based Practice” at the University Healthcare Consortium forum in Seattle, Wash., in September.

Joann Morey, BSN, RN, in April presented a poster the Academy of Neonatal Nurses annual conference in Florida on antenatal classes taught by the NICU nurses. She presented preliminary findings from her research on reducing parental stress through antenatal education. Morey’s proposal to study the effects of an nurse-led educational NICU class on the stress levels of mothers whose babies are later admitted to the NICU was accepted by the IRB.

Sherri Nobriga-Bonica

Sherri Nobriga-Bonica, BSN, RN, of the Endoscopy Center, presented two national Webinars titled, “Managing a Capsule Endoscopy Program: Best Demonstrated Practices.” The hour-long presentation includes a 45-minute slide show followed by a question and answer session. She will present a third Webinar June 5 at 3 p.m. Nobriga-Bonica is presenting a poster titled, “Capsule Endoscopy: A Comprehensive Training Program to Empower Health Care Professional,” at the 35th annual course of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA) in Salt Lake City, Utah, in May. She will also present two lectures at SGNA: a 90-minute expert panel presentation titled, “Best Demonstrated Practiced of a Well Run Capsule Endoscopy Program,” and an individual presentation called, “A Look Inside Capsule Endoscopy.”

Julie B. Shea, MS, RNCS, spoke at the XIII World Congress on Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology, ICPES in Rome, Italy, in December 2007 and presented, “Pacemaker Diagnostics and Optimal Patient Clinical Management.” Shea is also the 2008 Allied Professional Program chair for the upcoming 29th Annual Scientific Sessions for the Heart Rhythm Society in San Francisco in May.

Jim Slattery

Jim Slattery, AD, RN, CGRN, of the Endoscopy Center, in May was a general session speaker at the annual spring meeting of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates in Salt Lake City. His topic was, “Endoscopic Endoluminal Therapies for Patients with weight regain after Roux -en-Y Gastric Bypass.”

Ellen Sullivan, BSN, RN, CPAN, PACU NIC, published an article in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing titled, “The Development and Implementation of a Perioperative Integrative Care Committee.” She also published “Medication Reconciliation: One Strategy to Ensure Proper Dosing,” in Breathline - American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nursing Newsletter in April.

Bernadette Lavoie, RN, Carol Prone, RN, Lauren Willard, RN, Doreen Landry, RN, Mary Connor, RN, Mary Bucelewicz, RN, and Sondra Holland, RN, of CWN7, in March attended the 25th annual conference of The Society of Gynecologic Nurse Oncologists in Denver, Colo., where they presented their poster, “Closing the Communication Gap in Health Care.”

Awards and Achievements

Deidre Devaux, MSN, RN, PeriAnesthesia nurse educator, in April received the Massachusetts Society for PeriAnesthesia Nurses Newsletter Award for her article, “Readiness for Evidence Based Practice.”

Nursing staff in March celebrated the Thomson Compassionate Care Leadership Awards and accepted Compassionate Care Scholarships for projects that will improve patient care.

The winners and projects are:

Elaine Devine

Elaine Devine, LICSW, and Cheryl Ventola, RN:“Therapeutic Back Packs with Information for Burn Trauma Patients”

Joann Morey, RN, and team: “Neonatal Welcome Packet Team” which involves collaboration with the Family Advisory Council to update the “Welcome to the NICU Film.”

Bernadette Quigley-Lavoie, RN: “Music for GYN Cancer Patients”

Suellen Breakey

Suellen Breakey, PhD, RN, and team: “Training Program to Enhance Interdisciplinary Teamwork”