Mercy Celebrates Nurses Week

If there is one word that best describes what motivates nurses, the word is CARING.

Whether at the bedside, in the community, among their peers or at home, nurses care.

It is a prerequisite to be a nurse and it is evaluated throughout every nurse's career.

Each May, right around Florence Nightingale's birthday on May 12th, Mercy Medical Center recognize our nurses for all that they do with a week of celebration.

Our nurse's week in 2010 began on Monday, May 3rd with a celebration mass in our chapel. A blessing of the hands was performed for all the caring that nurses provides every day. What a beautiful expression of love that was, and what a very special way to open our festivities.

After mass, nurse managers displayed sombrero centerpieces that their units designed for a celebration luncheon. With their sombreros on their heads, the managers paraded throughout the hospital to all the patient care areas so that all staff and the patients could see our nursing staff's creativity.

The parade ended in the Nursing Education Department where the sombreros were displayed and judged. Congratulations to our winners: first prize to Radiology, second prize to Labor and Delivery, and third prize to the Emergency Department. Lovely stadium blankets were also distributed as a gift to nurses from the Medical Staff.

On Tuesday, during lunchtime in the cafeteria, four teams of nurses were put together at random to demonstrate their cooking skills in Mercy's version of an "Iron Chef" competition. Each team was provided a secret ingredient: POUND CAKE. A table of syrups and sauces, fruits, sprinkles, cookies and puddings were at a central table for the team to use and create a dessert that would "WOW" our judges. Once again, our nurses demonstrated how well they can work together. The judges loved the combination of chocolate pudding, whipped cream, Oreo cookies, and strawberries that adorned the pound cake. Our winners created their version of "Sunshine" and a sunny day was had by everyone, include one of our judges.

On Wednesday there was a nurse's luncheon and a dinner. We were blessed with great weather that allowed the luncheon/award ceremony in the hospital's Garden of Caring. Nursing Administration went all out for a delicious spread of hot food that gave the staff lots of energy to return to the patient bedside.

Our nurses were also recognized with awards for their dedication and commitment to nursing. The "Florence Nightingale Award" recognized Humilidad (Etchie) Umali from 3-North as a nurse of distinction who demonstrates clinical excellence and service to her patients, co-workers, and community. The "Rookie of the Year Award" recognizes Sarah Kemp from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as a new nurse who demonstrates an understanding of the nursing process, enthusiasm and seeks to be an active member of the multidisciplinary health team.

We also recognize Noreen O'Grady, Patient Care Associate from the Emergency Department, with a "Service Excellence Award" for her competence in patient care and collegiality among her peers. The "MVP Award for Nursing" went to Karen Rennie of the Nursing Education Department for her role in promoting a new community educational event at Mercy, "Birth, Baby and Beyond...The Mercy Touch". A final award was presented to a "Friend of Nursing" to recognize an individual not in the nursing department, but who collaborates with nursing, makes themselves available and respects nursing for what they do. This year the award went to Karen Cunningham of the dietary department, who initiated Room Service bedside patient meals and took the time to introduce the process to all the nursing staff.

Thursday's Nurses Week event was "Mercy Idol". During our lunch time in the cafeteria, our nursing staff displayed their wonderful singing talents. We had quite a few brave souls who took to the microphone and sang to the audience. We even had our own version of Randy, Ellen, Kara and Simon on hand. Our Mercy Idol Award was a tie. An award went to Katherine Thompson and her rendition of "Proud Mercy" as we work toward nursing Magnet designation and Lisa Eye, from Outpatient Services, who sang "The Rose". A special recognition went to Sr. Mary Alice Aschenbach and Sr. Ann Reekie for their "Alleluia's" as their weather girls sang about raining men!

Throughout the week there was a Chinese auction, with nursing units and other staff creating gift baskets. Each basket carried a different theme and all of them were overfilled. Themes ranged from Game Fun to Spas, to Beach Days. We closed the week by raffling off the baskets and our 50/50. Proceeds were donated to a Simulation Lab that is in development.

Nurses Week closed with a Friday afternoon mass in our chapel. We were thankful for the atmosphere of fun, of enthusiasm, of being part of nursing. We recognize our nurses as dynamic and creative, as well as dedicated and caring. And Mercy wants our nurses to know that the hospital CARES for its nurses, as much as they care for their patients.