The monumental contributions of more than a dozen LHSC nurses to the profession and their commitment to patient-centred care, collaboration, mentoring, research and more were honoured at the 2023 Nursing Awards on May 10, 2023.
“The caliber of the nominations was incredible,” said Heather Lokko, LHSC’s Corporate Nursing Executive, of the 49 nominations received. “Several actually almost brought me to tears – they were beautiful in terms of the description of the incredible contributions and commitment to excellence, education, care, teamwork and innovation. I found it quite moving to hear the stories of the impact these nurses have had.”
The winners announced at the virtual event included nine individuals and one team in eight categories that recognize significant achievements in areas such advancing equity and inclusion, leadership, excellence in clinical practice and cultivating learning.
Lokko has deep gratitude for the “expertise, excellence and commitment to patients and families, and to team members” that has been demonstrated by the winners.
“I’m humbled to work here with so many skilled practitioners and Team LHSC members,” she said. “And it also makes me excited about the future of nursing at LHSC. We have much to celebrate now, and in the years to come as we continue our journey of excellence.”
2023 LHSC Nursing Award Winners
Excellence in Clinical Practice
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Winner:
- Natalie Weston, RN
Critical Care Outreach Team (CCOT) at Victoria Hospital - Selection criteria:
- Recognizes a nurse who consistently demonstrates overall excellence in evidence-informed clinical nursing practice, including elements such as diligence in evidence-informed nursing assessment and intervention within the framework of person and family-centred care, integrity and accountability, contribution to a positive work environment and skill in coaching and mentoring others.
- Excerpt from nomination:
- “As an exceptional CCOT nurse herself, Natalie works collaboratively with all teams across the organization to ensure the best care possible for patients referred to this service. She is a warm, encouraging, and educational presence on the wards when responding to calls, supporting nursing and multidisciplinary teams with her vast nursing knowledge.”
Exemplary Interprofessional Team
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Winners:
- Janine Dougall, Sarrah Towne, Valerie Newman, Catherine Vallieres, Haley O'Rourke, and Maritza Angel
Victoria Hospital’s Medicine Patient Care Facilitators (PCFs) team - Selection criteria:
- Recognizes a team who displays strong collaboration, cohesiveness and leadership in creating a positive work environment while functioning as one team committed to the needs of patients, families and one another; values and trusts interprofessional team members; and, supports, motivates and celebrates each other to achieve a best possible outcome or result.
- Excerpt from nomination:
- “The PCFs lead with compassion and teamwork by including community members, patients' families and friends, or anyone the patient feels needs to be a part of their journey as they transition into the community. The PCFs lead with empathy in hard conversations with patients, families and team members as they steer the course in the hospital and help patients and families plan for those next steps. This team is extremely resilient and supportive of one another, especially on demanding days.”
Advancing Equity & Inclusion
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Winner:
- Joan Linden, RN
Clinical Educator, Professional Practice Team - Selection criteria:
- Recognizes a nurse who demonstrates commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in nursing practice by adapting their practice and approaches in response to the unique needs of diverse patients while also addressing unfair differences in quality of care, experience of care and/or access to care for patients in addition to addressing their own biases and assumptions while creating a safe, positive and inclusive environment for patients, families and members of Team LHSC.
- Excerpt from nomination:
- As the creator of ‘Supporting a Healthy International Nurse Experience,’ or SHINE, “Joan creates an environment of safety to discuss concerns openly, honestly so internationally educated nurses feel valued and supported.”
Exceptional Person-Centered Care
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Winner:
- Heather Lennox, RN, MN, CGN (C), Clinical Nurse Specialist, Gastroenterology at University Hospital
- Selection criteria:
- Recognizes a nurse who consistently treats all patients with dignity, compassion and respect; contributes to a positive patient experience; demonstrates commitment to the principle of patients as experts in their own health who partner with health professionals to get the best outcome; adapting practice in response to individual needs and preferences; supporting patients with evidence-informed decision making; and, treating patients as a whole person who are much more than their illness, injury or disease.
- Excerpt from nomination:
- “She sees the whole person, recognizing the impact of illness on their life outside our clinic and spearheads initiatives to improve patient experience. She regularly goes out of her way to correspond with patients, family and other care providers to ensure that plans for care are clearly communicated, understood and followed. Heather never ceases to take a compassionate and understanding approach, spending as much time as needed to help patients.”
Outstanding Preceptor
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Winner:
- Maureen Dougan, RPN
Women’s Care, Postpartum Care Unit at Victoria Hospital - Selection criteria:
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Recognizes a formal preceptor who has provided outstanding support to students and/or internationally educated nurses who are completing their practice experiences; understanding the needs of the individual completing the placement and tailoring their support and approach accordingly; and, championing evidence-based and person-centred practice while creating a safe learning environment, fostering collaboration and role-modelling clinical reasoning, critical thinking and problem-solving.
- Excerpt from nomination:
- “She has consistently gone above and beyond to ensure that her preceptees feel supported and confident in their abilities. Her passion for teaching is evident not only as a preceptor within LHSC but through her position educating future nurses at Fanshawe College. She recognizes strengths in others and actively works to fosters growth.”
Cultivating Learning and Growth
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Winner:
- Lucy Vermeulen, RN
Nursing Practice Consultant, Professional Practice Team - Selection criteria:
- Recognizes a nurse who is committed to cultivating growth in new nurses, other team members and patients and families, and/or in the nursing profession by demonstrating outstanding expertise in promoting learning, initiating discussions about important nursing issues that encourage action and support practice change to improve patient care delivery, and by creating a safe learning environment that enhances critical thinking and evidence-informed practice.
- Excerpt from nomination:
- “Lucy advocated for and created the New Nurse Development Program at LHSC…This important program, via Lucy’s efforts, is evidence-informed and provides a safe, collaborative learning space for nurses who are new to acute care to gain the tools, support and knowledge needed to safely transition to independent nursing practice. Lucy's ongoing efforts to the New Nurse Development Program has enabled it to be a success in providing the much-needed supports to one of our most valuable assets: our nurses!”
Advancing Practice & Innovation
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Winner:
- Lori Harwood, NP, PhD, CNeph(C)
Renal Program at Victoria Hospital, and LHSC NP Practice Consultan - Selection criteria:
- Recognizes a nurse in an advanced practice role who has significantly contributed to nursing practice and innovation by identifying opportunities to improve and enhance nursing practice; contributed to mobilizing innovations in practice, demonstrating excellence in academic research and/or quality improvement leading to significant advancement of knowledge in their own nursing specialty; supported others to engage in innovation and embrace practice change; and, contributed provincially/nationally/internationally to advancing clinical nursing practice and scholarship.
- Excerpt from nomination:
- “She is a self-directed individual who manages, directs and provides comprehensive patient care in a collaborative, interdisciplinary team environment. [Lori] has always demonstrated a leadership role in advancing nephrology nursing in Canada. Lori has provided significant leadership…in advancing nursing practice through her excellence in academic research. She has had a number of national and internationally funded research studies as well as numerous publications to her credit.”
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Winner:
- Amy Makish, NP, MN
Trauma Program, Victoria Hospital - Selection criteria:
- Recognizes a nurse in an advanced practice role who has significantly contributed to nursing practice and innovation by identifying opportunities to improve and enhance nursing practice; contributed to mobilizing innovations in practice, demonstrating excellence in academic research and/or quality improvement leading to significant advancement of knowledge in their own nursing specialty; supported others to engage in innovation and embrace practice change; and, contributed provincially/nationally/internationally to advancing clinical nursing practice and scholarship.
- Excerpt from nomination:
- “Amy is an integral member of the trauma team whose value cannot be overstated. She is the heart and soul of clinical care provided to our trauma inpatients. In addition to providing world-class clinical care, she performs key roles in the education of all trainees rotating on the trauma service, lead[ing] daily multidisciplinary rounds, and is a tireless advocate for system change to improve patient care. Amy is always working on a project to make things better.”
Excellence in Nursing Leadership
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Winner:
- Leanne Kernaghan, RN,
Charge Nurse, Gynecology Inpatients Unit, Women’s Care - Selection criteria:
- Recognizes a nurse in a formal or informal leadership role who exhibits excellence and authenticity in leadership by expertly leading self, engaging others, achieving results and developing coalitions while demonstrating outstanding coaching skills and supporting team members to reach their full potential; cultivating a shared vision, regularly seeking input from staff, leveraging individual and team strengths, addressing barriers to nursing / team excellence; and, creating a safe, positive, and inclusive environment for members of Team LHSC.
- Excerpt from nomination:
- “Her ability to lead, motivate and inspire her team to provide the best patient care possible has been instrumental in creating a positive work environment… She is truly the heart of the department. She fosters an environment of collaboration and open communication, encouraging staff to share their ideas and insights to improve patient care. Her dedication to lifelong learning is an inspiration to everyone in the unit.”