Virginia Nurses Association recognizes Carilion Nurses

Carilion Clinic Nurses were recognized on September 21, 2019 at the Virginia Nurses Foundation Gala in Richmond.

Pamela Lindsey MSN, RN, Magnet Program Director accepted a certificate recognizing Carilion Clinic Roanoke Campus' 4th Magnet designation. The Magnet Recognition Program recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Consumers rely on Magnet designation as the ultimate credential for high quality nursing. Developed by ANCC, Magnet is the leading source of successful nursing practices and strategies worldwide. Carilion Clinic Roanoke Campus has maintained sustained Magnet designation longer than any other organization in Virginia.

Arielle Watkins BSN, RN, CCRN received the Leadership Excellence Award in the category of Direct Patient Care Leader Patient Safety. Her nomination included the following: "Arielle is very involved in the unit's leadership council which reviews safety issues. She is also the chair of the education council and is responsible for education coordination on a monthly basis. Arielle was recruited for nursing input by our pulmonary hypertension specialist physicians and pharmacist to assist in writing the hospital-wide nursing education for PCU and step-down nurses, which has important information needed to care for patients receiving remodulin."

Brandie Bailey DNP, RN, NEA-BC received the Leadership Excellence Award in the category of Nurse Manager/Director. Her nomination notes, "Brandie has contributed to providing safe environments for patients and staff, working collaboratively to impact the patient experience and discharge planning. She worked with senior nurse leaders to create a new position and orientation plan for float RNs to include all Carilion Clinic sites and also developed the Admission/Discharge RN team. Brandie also led an initiative to update defibrillators, ensuring they were up to date with the latest evidence based practice, saving the organization approximately $3 million."

Kimberly Carter PhD, RN, NEA-BC received the Leadership Excellence Award in the category of Nurse Researcher. Her nomination includes, "Kimberly assisted with developing, testing and approving the CLEAR model, which provides a useful framework for navigating the decision making and resources necessary to answer important clinical questions. She has authored or co-authored 36 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, and she has presented or co-authored presentations at national and international conferences. Her enthusiasm for disseminating knowledge is contagious, and she inspires and supports colleagues to take risks and get outside of their comfort zone to present and publish their work."

Other nominees and finalists from Carilion Clinic include:

Direct Patient Care Leader Patient Safety: Emily Codrea BSN, RN, CCRN; Cheyanne Spradlin BSN, RN

Direct Patient Care Leader Patient Experience: SaVanna Eckrote; Heather Moreno RN; Michelene Morin BSN, RN

Nurse Manager/Director: Nicole Hale BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM; Patricia Kingery MSN, RN (Finalist); Kathleen Ott MS, RN; Annie Phillips Smith MSN, RN

Chief Nursing Officer: Veronica Stump BSN, MA, RN, NEA-BC