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

Awards and Honors

Patricia Reid Ponte, RN, DNSc, FAAN, NEA-BC, senior vice president for Patient Care Services and chief nurse at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and director of Nursing and Clinical Services at BWH, was elected as the newest member of the 2009 Board of Directors for the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). The academy’s 10-member board oversees the financial management of AAN and provides direction for its strategic planning. Reid Ponte will serve on the board through 2010.

Degrees and Professional Certifications

NICU nurses Janet Frink, BSN, RN, Mary Anne Bennett, BSN, RN, and Michele Phillips, PhD, RN, recently earned their NICU certification.

Margaret Gulley

Margaret (Peggy) Gulley, CNRN, and Zinnia Feliciano, BSN, CNRN, both from Tower 10CD, recently earned certification as Neurosciences Registered Nurses from the American Board of Nursing Specialties.

Carol Booth

Carol Booth, MSN, RN, a clinical staff nurse with the Shapiro 9/10 Medical Cardiology Intermediate Care Unit, recently earned her master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. In addition, she successfully passed the Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist exam.

Posters, Presentations and Publications

Diane R. Lancaster, PhD, RN, director, Quality Measurement and Improvement, coauthored with Judy Beal, DNSc, RN, and Joan Riley, EdD, RN, “Essential Elements of an Optimal Clinical Practice Environment” in the November 2008 Journal of Nursing Administration.

Kristin Styer

Kristin Styer, MSN, RN, presented “Policies to Ensure Communication and Patient Safety—A Standardized Approach,” during the 22nd annual Joint Commission Resources Conference in Chicago last November.

Ten groups of BWH nurses have posters/podium presentations accepted at the 21st Annual Eastern Nursing Research Society meeting in Boston in March:

Katherine Gregory, PhD, RN, and Cynthia Loring, MS, RNC, will present the poster “Temperature Control of the Late Preterm Infant: A Comparison of Thermoregulation Following Two Bathing Techniques.” This study is currently being conducted by a group of staff nurses on CWN-10 and was funded through a grant from Lily Kravitz.

Suellen Breakey, PhD, RN, Alison Gilmore, MS, RN, and Nicole Sica, BSN, RN: “The Implementation and Evaluation of a Communication Skills Program for Cardiac Surgery Nurses;

Suellen Breakey, Teresa Buchanan, MBA, RN, Matt Quin, BSN, RN, and Anne Burgess, BSN, RN: “An Analysis of the Characteristics of Chronically Critically Ill Patients in a Cardiac Surgical Population.”

Patrice Nicholas, DNSc, RN, FAAN, Egidia Rugwizangoga, BSN, RN, Inge Corless, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Sheila Davis DNP, RN, FAAN: “Symptoms Experienced by HIV-infected Individuals Receiving Antiretroviral Medications in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.”

Justin Precourt, BSN, RN, and Teresa Buchanan: “Cardiac Surgery Throughput Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.”

Barbara Lakatos, PMHCNS, and Monique Mitchell, PMHCNS, with colleagues from MGH: “Falls in the General Hospital: An Association with Delirium, Advanced Age and Specific Surgical Procedures.”

Ann Hurley, PhD, RN, and Patti Dykes, MS, RN: “Falls Prevention Instrumentation/Intervention.”

Priscilla Gazarian, PhD, RN, et al: “Nurse Decision Making and the Prevention of Adverse Events.”

Miriam Greenspan, MSN, RN, Laura Mylott, PhD, RN, Monique Mitchell, PMHCNS, Dorothy Bradley, MSN, RN, Carol Luppi, BSN, RN, Diane Campbell, BSN, RN: “Using a Simulated Learning Experience to Improve the Care of the Patient Experiencing Delirium.”

Jo Ann Morey; BSN, RN: “The Effects of a Nurse Led Class on Maternal Stress in the NICU.”

Appointments

Denise Peterson

The Department of Nursing named three new nurses in-charge in recent months. Kathryn Mills BSN, RN, in January was named as a NIC for Tower 15CD; Christopher Sears, BSN, RN, was named nurse in-charge of the OR’s Thoracic Surgery team; and Denise M. Peterson, MSN, RN was named NIC for the Gynecology/Robotic Surgical Team in the OR.