Advocates, mentors, cheerleaders, advisors — in the span of one shift, Pennsylvania Hospital’s nurses can fill all of these roles. Even in the toughest times, these unparalleled professionals can balance clinical responsibilities, research projects, and community service, all while still serving as a beacon of hope for patients. This spring, nurses across the health system had the opportunity to recognize their colleagues’ commitment to elevating nursing practices and to caring for the whole patient during the 21st Annual Penn Medicine Nursing Clinical Excellence Awards.
“When the chips are down, I always turn to a nurse,” said Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO of UPHS, during the virtual ceremony. “When I was a patient, it was the nurses who got me through. My dad passed away just a few short months ago, and when I was in the middle of a dark moment, who was with me? A nurse. You have been my guardian angels. Because of you, we are going to continue to grow, advance science, and take care of patients, one person at a time.”
This year, five exemplary nurses from PAH were celebrated for their extensive clinical contributions, promotion of education and research, and invaluable impact on patients and the community.
Florence Vanek, MSN, RN, NE-BC, director of Nursing Education, Nursing Professional Practice, and the Magnet Program, earned this year’s Victoria L. Rich Transformational Leadership Award in recognition of her ability to lead by example, bring out the best in her peers, and drive changes that improve both the patient experience and workplace. The director of three departments, Vanek has become a leader, mentor, and adviser for colleagues at all levels. By asking questions, applying her broad expertise, and consistently taking initiative, she has made crucial contributions to projects ranging from age-friendly care initiatives for geriatric patients to the hospital’s successful Magnet re-designation. Vanek has also played a vital part in promoting respect and professionalism by developing the PAH Workplace Incivility Guidelines and the Guidelines for a Respectful Workplace Algorithm. As her nomination noted, “Above all, it is her honor and character that make her shine as a leader at PAH.”
Like Vanek, Ann Coughlin, MSN, RN, CMSRN, CBL — the winner of this year’s Dianne Lanham Award for Leadership — continuously finds new ways to create a better environment for patients and staff alike. A charge nurse on 5 Cathcart (a general medicine unit), she has established herself as a strong clinical leader, a knowledgeable preceptor, and an inspiring advocate for nursing students. She also created the first local American Medical Surgical Nurses chapter to connect nurses across Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Coughlin is especially invested in reducing nurse burnout. She has organized anxiety reduction initiatives and led therapeutic coloring research that showed a significant reduction in nurse anxiety; the study has been presented both locally and nationally. She also helped lead a falls reduction initiative that led to an 83 percent reduction in the rate of patient falls on 5 Cathcart.
Annemarie Deeley, MSN, RNC-NIC, CNL, a nurse in the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN), has also conducted and presented quality and research projects at the local and national level. For example, she played an integral role in implementing interventions that have reduced escalating events by 75 percent in the ICN. Her investigative spirit led her to be named the winner of this year’s Helen McClelland Award for Research and Innovation. Deeley is an active member of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses; she was selected to serve on an association committee to review literature and create evidence-based practice guidelines for ICNs. She was also recently elected to serve as the education director for the Delaware Valley Association of Neonatal Nurses chapter. In this position, she will connect more than 300 local neonatal nurses to continuing education opportunities and nursing research supports.
This year, the Lillian Brunner Award for Exemplary Practice was presented to Vascular Access Team (VAT) nurse Anna Wojtas, MSN, RN, CCRN. She serves as the co-chair of the Nursing Practice Council and is an active member of the Committee to Reduce Blood Stream Infections. With her strong drive, infectious enthusiasm, and ability to forge effective partnerships, she has helped expand the skills of both her VAT peers and the nurses on the patient care floors. Wojtas has also enhanced nursing practices and improved patient outcomes through several projects. For example, she helped expand the capacity of the VAT to place peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC lines) at the bedside. With additional staff and equipment, the VAT has inserted more than 200 bedside PICC lines since April 2020, resulting in decreased lengths of stay, increased patient satisfaction, and reduced costs.
Finally, Delivery Room nurse Rhonda Whitaker, BSN, RN, CBC, received the Rosalyn J. Watts Award for Community/Patient/Family Relationships. Known for her warmth and collegiality, she is passionate about supporting families that have experienced a perinatal loss, and she is an excellent resource for other nurses hoping to provide more empathetic care to this population. As chair of the Bereavement Committee, she has spearheaded multiple projects, including creating a bereavement packet for patients and distributing blankets to families experiencing loss at PAH and other hospitals. Additionally, she assumes responsibility for reaching out to grieving families after discharge to provide additional care and support. Whitaker is also involved in several community outreach initiatives; in addition to working with her local ministry to help community members struggling with hunger and homelessness, she was granted Penn Medicine CAREs funding to host community health fairs.