By Beau Kilpatrick—
Nurses from Kentucky and southern Indiana gathered at the Mellwood Art Center on Nov. 3 for an elegant evening among leaders of the medical field.
Dean Marcia Hern of the U of L School of Nursing hosted the third annual Nightingale Awards ceremony along with Rachel Platt of WHAS11. The Nightingale Awards recognize RNs who have been an inspiration, positively impacted the healthcare industry and improved the quality of care for their patients.
There were more than 50 nominees this year, along with six honorable mentions and six winners. Each winner receives a check for 1,000 dollars and a personalized commemorative plate dedicated to each nurse’s valuable contributions.
Shelby Landis was among the many Louisville nurses nominated. Landis has been a registered nurse at Norton Children’s Hospital for the past two and a half years.
“I was really surprised when I first found out about the nomination. Nurses aren’t in this profession to get acknowledgment and awards. But it’s always nice when someone takes the extra time to acknowledge all the hard work that they put into everything they do, and the time and the care it takes to be a nurse. It’s nice that people still appreciate that,” Landis said.
Hern emphasized that a nurse’s education never ends. Nurses are constantly learning new procedures, medications and ways to improve care for patients. Hern also said that nurses are often the mediator in the patient-doctor relationship.
Landis graduated from IUS with her BSN degree, but is building on that.
“I am in school right now to get my master’s in administration, but I’m not in any hurry to leave the bedside. I love what I do there and I never completely want to get away from doing patient care,” Landis said.
