registered nurse – UofL News

UofL honors outstanding nurses at 5th annual Nightingale Awards

Hayley Kappes — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 15:14:39 +0000

Eight nurses who have improved the health of Kentuckians, impacted the lives of vulnerable groups and shaped the next generation of nurses have been chosen to receive the fifth annual University of Louisville Florence Nightingale Awards in Nursing. ��

Recipients of the 2018 Nightingale Awards include:

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Dawn Balcom, D.N.P., A.P.R.N., F.N.P.-C.: A family nurse practitioner at��the UofL Division of Infectious Diseases, Balcom has expanded and improved services to vulnerable groups, including Louisville’s refugee population. Balcom specializes in international travel medicine and disease prevention through use of immunization. She also serves as the advanced practice specialist at the UofL International Travel Clinic, where immunization and preventive care is provided to international travelers in Louisville and across Kentucky.

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Cathy Bays, Ph.D., A.P.R.N., A.G.N.P.-C.: Bays, a gerontological nurse practitioner with UofL Physicians-Neurology, is an expert in care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders. She has spent the majority of her 30-year career at UofL, including a previous faculty position at the School of Nursing. Bays helped develop Partners in Nursing ��ֱ��, a collaborative effort of several hospitals that allows nurse educators to pool resources when teaching. She has conducted studies in education and practice areas of neurology nursing, including quality of life for stroke patients.

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Amanda Corzine, M.S.N., R.N., S.A.N.E.-A., and��Vicki Yazel, B.S.N., R.N., S.A.N.E.-A.: Corzine and Yazel are receiving a joint award for their work at UofL Hospital’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Services, where they have helped hundreds of sexual assault and domestic violence victims in the Louisville area. Corzine, coordinator of SAFE Services, was instrumental in implementing an evidence-based domestic violence screening tool in the UofL Hospital Emergency Department that connects victims to immediate advocacy services. She has grown the office to provide 24-hour availability and new services, including domestic violence forensic exams, the first in Kentucky to provide this. Yazel, assistant coordinator of SAFE Services, has strengthened the hospital’s relationships with law enforcement agencies and is improving human trafficking screening in the emergency department.

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Kathy Hager, D.N.P., A.P.R.N., F.N.P.-B.C., C.D.E.: Hager, president of the Kentucky Nurses Association and associate professor at Bellarmine University’s Lansing School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences, began her nursing career 46 years ago and has been a nursing educator for a majority of that time. Her career has spanned many areas of health care, including medical-surgical nursing, diabetes care, cancer and end-of-life care. Hager has taught advanced pharmacology and pathophysiology, health policy, program development and population health. She also works as a family nurse practitioner in the Bellarmine University student clinic.

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Leslie Scott, Ph.D., A.P.R.N., P.P.C.N.P.-B.C., C.D.E., M.L.D.E.: As a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner, Scott has dedicated her life to helping children manage diabetes by providing care and education to families in Kentucky. Scott is an associate professor at��the University of Kentucky College of Nursing and her clinical practice is in the pediatric endocrine clinic at the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center. She volunteers as a nurse at Camp Hendon, a weeklong camp for children with diabetes that encourages them to take control of their condition.

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Mark Spivak, M.S.N., R.N., B.C.E.N.: Spivak, patient safety manager at UofL Hospital, led development of a robust plan to combat the opioid epidemic, resulting in hundreds of patients being screened in the emergency department and referred to community substance abuse treatment services. Spivak organized a multidisciplinary group to develop the intervention process, supported by the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort, and secured funding from the state for two full-time social workers based in the emergency department who focus on the intervention.

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Renesha Stone, R.N.: Stone is the training, compliance and education supervisor for the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections’ incarceration facilities. She teaches new nurses how to provide care to inmates, many of whom��are underserved and grapple with mental illness and addiction. Stone revamped medical training procedures at the department’s facilities to improve patient care and attract and retain employees.

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In Memoriam Award

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Steve Bolton, a registered nurse at UofL Hospital for more than 25 years who died in 2017, will receive an in memoriam award. Former colleagues and patients remembered Bolton as a meticulous person who loved sharing knowledge and training new nurses. In his honor, UofL Hospital established the Steve Bolton Professional Development Scholarship that awards grants to bedside nurses seeking to expand their knowledge by attending professional conferences.

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The winners will be celebrated on Nov. 8 at the Mellwood Art & Entertainment Center, 1860 Mellwood Ave. A reception starts 5:30 p.m. with dinner and the awards program at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person and can be ordered online. Proceeds support the UofL School of Nursing.

Nominations for UofL Nightingale Awards close in one week

Hayley Kappes — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 19:46:13 +0000

The public has less than one week to nominate outstanding nurses from Kentucky and Southern Indiana for the fifth annual UofL Florence Nightingale Awards in Nursing.

Submit an essay of no more than 400 words about how a registered nurse has excelled in providing patient care, impacted the profession of nursing and/or improved the health of people in the region. Nominees must have a registered nurse license in Kentucky or Indiana.

until 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10.

Winners will receive a cash prize and be celebrated at an awards dinner on Nov. 8.

For more information, email Karen Rose or call 502-852-8300.

Nominate outstanding nurses for 5th annual UofL Nightingale Awards

Hayley Kappes — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 14:14:13 +0000

Following in the footsteps of Florence Nightingale, nurses touch the lives of others and improve health care in numerous ways, from clinical practice and public service to education and research.

To honor the impactful work of registered nurses, the��is accepting nominations for the fifth annual UofL Florence Nightingale Awards in Nursing.

Submit an essay online of 400 words or less on how a registered nurse has excelled in providing patient care, impacted the profession of nursing and/or improved the overall health of people in the region. Nominees should have a current registered nurse license in Kentucky or Indiana.

Winners will receive a cash award and be honored at a dinner on Nov. 8 at the Mellwood Arts Center.

The deadline to nominate is Sept. 10.��.

For more information, contact Karen Rose via email��or 502-852-8300.

UofL Owensboro nursing students turn in perfect scores on licensure exam

Hayley Kappes — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 15:40:32 +0000

The University of Louisville School of Nursing ��program achieved a 100-percent pass rate in 2016 for first-time takers of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, NCLEX-RN. The UofL traditional undergraduate nursing program in Louisville achieved a 93-percent pass rate.

State boards of nursing administer the standardized exam to determine whether a prelicensure nursing school graduate is prepared for entry-level practice as a registered nurse. The pass rate includes all graduates who took the NCLEX for the first time in 2016.

“We are thrilled that our program has achieved a perfect pass rate for 2016,” said Amy Higdon, MSN, RN, director of the UofL School of Nursing Owensboro Extension and assistant professor. “This is a huge accomplishment and would not have been possible without the hard work and determination from our students. Thank you to the dedicated faculty and staff who have worked endlessly to support our students and the program.”

The pass rates for UofL’s School of Nursing programs in Louisville and Owensboro are above the national average of 87.8 percent, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

“We have strong programs with faculty and students who work together to succeed,” said Ruth Staten, PhD, APRN-CS-NP, UofL School of Nursing associate dean for undergraduate programs and associate professor. “The NCLEX pass rates are just one outcome that demonstrates the excellence that defines our BSN traditional programs. We are very proud of the faculty, staff, students and graduates that contribute to the well-being of the community.”

Third annual UofL Nightingale Awards will recognize outstanding nurses

Hayley Kappes — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 16:14:30 +0000

The public is invited to nominate outstanding nurses employed in Kentucky and Southern Indiana for the 3rd��annual University of Louisville Florence Nightingale Awards in Nursing.

The awards honor exceptional nurses who have followed in the footsteps of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

To nominate a nurse, submit an essay of no more than 200 words about how a registered nurse meets at least one of the following categories:

Impacted patients through excellent and compassionate nursing care;
Improved health outcomes in a population or in the community;
Elevated the nursing profession through teaching, research and/or policy development;
Inspired others to consider nursing as a career.

. The nomination deadline is Sept. 8.

Winners will receive a cash prize and commemorative plaque at the Nightingale Awards dinner 5:30 to 8 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Mellwood Arts Center. .