Inside Duke Medicine

DRH nurses awarded for excellence

Duke University Health System (DUHS) Friends of Nursing was established to recognize professional excellence in nursing practice, education and research to enhance the status and promote the image of nursing as a positive career choice. Nurses are nominated by patients, families, visitors or colleagues. Each recipient received a gold pin, gold trophy, $1,000 educational scholarship and was recognized at the annual Friends of Nursing Gala.

Photo by Butch Usery
Pictured above  front row, left to right, Ashley Neville, Heather Wright, Debra Areford and Erica Brewington; Back row, Judy-Anne King, Bonnie Dickerson, Sevda Mirza, and Rhonda Lovelace; Not pictured, Joni Danjczek and Mary Edgley.

“Friends of Nursing recognition is an opportunity to recognize nurses for their commitment to excellence,” says Vicky Orto, chief nursing officer. “I am very proud of our outstanding nurses.

The following words from nominators highlight the stories of our winning nurses.

Debra Areford, Davis Ambulatory Surgical Center, DRH Medical Staff Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
“Debra is an extremely knowledgeable nurse who practices and exemplifies this in her care. She is a leader who teaches Basic Life Skills, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. She is also a leader in our perioperative professional organizations and has been key in improving our patient satisfaction scores.”

Erica Brewington, Unit 5-1 Medicine, DRH Medical Staff Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
“Erica always goes the extra mile with both patients and colleagues. When a patient needed dental cream, Erica would not leave the unit until some was found. She presented a creative poster to our staff on SBAR communication, which improved teamwork. She has a gorgeous smile and has a way of making things better. Erica is a very special nurse.”

Joni Danjczek, 5-3 Neurology /Oncology, DRH Medical Staff Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
“It is simply a joy to work beside Joni. She conducts daily customer service and patient safety rounds for our patients. Her hands sooth patients as they worry about the results of their latest diagnostic test or endure a terminal illness. Our physicians and interdisciplinary team members respect her opinion and enjoy working with her. Above all, she cares.”

Bonnie Dickerson, Critical Care Unit, DRH Hill Rom Wound Care Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
“When Bonnie is in charge of our CCU, her coworkers know there is no situation that she cannot facilitate or problem she cannot solve. She has led the unit in quality campaigns and has presented resulting data at Magnet conferences. She is a constant source of clinical information and is often teaching new as well as experienced staff.”

Mary Edgley, Critical Care Unit, DCHC Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
“The CCU was without a resource book for policies. Mary created the most comprehensive book that any nurse in our unit could ask for. Mary also decided a comprehensive cart with stocked supplies would improve care for open-heart patients, and she created one. Mary’s quiet strength embodies the true spirit of nursing.”

Rhonda Lovelace, Unit 5-1 Medicine, DCHC Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
“Rhonda is a true “transformational leader” – in just two short years this manager has taken a unit with high turnover and low morale, to a unit with zero staff openings, great patient and staff satisfaction, and high teamwork scores. She is hands on, visible, approachable and loved by the staff, physicians and patients. Rhonda rocks!”

Judy-Anne King, Unit 5-1 Medicine, DRH Medical Staff Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
A nurse from another unit writes: “I want you to know how much we appreciate the help we got from Judy on Unit 5-1 in caring for a patient on dialysis. It was unusual for our unit to have a patient with this need, and Judy was the utmost expert and professional in teaching both the patient and the nurses. She needs to be commended for her commitment to this hospital, but mostly for her commitment to our patients.”

Sevda Mirza, Unit 5-1 Medicine, DRH Medical Staff Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
“Sevda was key in leading several unit initiatives including ‘no IV beeping on our unit’ and the ‘buddy system’ to greatly improve teamwork. She promoted our flu vaccine campaign, and our unit was 100 percent compliant with vaccinations. Patients love her and her colleagues hold her in high esteem.”

Ashley Neville, Endoscopy Unit, DRH Medical Staff Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
“Ashley researched and created a hospital wide policy for use of sedation with Sleep Apnea patients. She developed a data collection tool and has improved the safety of patient care. She has been promoted to Clinical Ladder IV (expert level) and continues to lead improvements in patient processes.”

Heather Wright, Nursery, DRH Auxiliary Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice
“An excellent preceptor and nurse, Heather recently educated our staff on ‘kangaroo care’ for babies. She advocates for all families, often helping and encouraging exhausted moms with breast-feeding. She led the unit in changing its delivery model of care to improve patient outcomes. Heather is a consummate team player and is always willing to help patients and her peers.”