Posted: 5/4/2016
Area’s top nurses recognized on May 3
Thirteen registered nurses at Parkland Health & Hospital System are among those who were honored as 2016 Dallas/Fort Worth Great 100 Nurses on Tuesday, May 3 at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.
The Parkland RNs earning recognition are: Cindy Wheeler, Courtney Edwards, Dawn Lewellen, Gabe Fruge, Kashundra Foreman, Olubunmi Akinfolajimi, Robert Metzger, Deborah Boyer, Idella Thomas, Karla Voy-Hatter, Waltona Cummings, Tammy Regitz and Monica Newman.
“The nurses who work at Parkland are some of the most skilled and professional I have met in my career,” said Karen Watts, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, Parkland’s Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer. “They exemplify what nursing is all about – care and compassion. I am proud to work alongside such a talented group of men and women and congratulate them on this honor.”
The Parkland nurses were selected from more than 800 nominations submitted by patients, families, colleagues, teachers and co-workers for the annual award. The Dallas/Fort Worth Great 100 Nurses awards celebration was founded in 1991 by Beth Mancini, PhD, RN, Parkland’s former Chief Nursing Officer, who served as chair and emceed the event for 18 years.
When she initiated the local celebration, Dr. Mancini said, “We wanted to present nursing in a positive light and to encourage individuals to consider nursing – the worth of nursing – and to create scholarships so that individuals could go to nursing school and better meet the healthcare needs of our community.”
The Great 100 celebration raises the awareness of the contributions of nurses to patient care, research, leadership, education and community service of more than 40,000 nurses practicing in the DFW area. In addition, the celebration builds the image of nursing through positive reinforcement of the profession as a scientific art and the recognition of those who exemplify excellence.
“As an organization, we believe in the power of nurses to transforms lives, organizations, communities and health systems. Nurses are leading at a local, state and national level in all settings,” said Cole Edmonson, DNP, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, president of the DFW Great 100 and past Great 100 recipient. “Three million and growing, nurses represent the backbone, brain, heart and soul of the healthcare system. We are in the midst of an exciting transformation in healthcare that needs creative destruction and disruptive innovation and nurses are perfectly positioned to do just that and more.”
To learn more about how to become a part of Dallas’ top nursing team, please visit www.parklandcareers.com. For more information on the Dallas/Fort Worth Great 100 Nurses, visit www.dfwgreat100nurses.com