Sharon Ikeler, CNO at Las Colinas Medical Center, remembered one of her most memorable moments in nursing.
“Her eyes were wide open in an almost pleading sort of way. She could not speak due to her illness but could respond to questions. I asked her "do you want to go home" and she smiled as her eyes lit up with anticipation and tears appeared. That afternoon we were able to take her home to be around her grandchildren during her last few days. She was overwhelmed with joy as she was able to sit with her husband of 27 years every moment, not just during the day time hours. She could hear the voices and patting of feet of her many grandchildren who ran through the house not understanding the situation. Her children were at her bedside one by one telling her how much she meant to them during their life. She drew her final breath, which summoned all of her kids to her bedside, and then she was gone.
This experience was the most magical experience of my lifetime and as a nurse. My nursing skills gave me the ability to understand this patient and take care of her in her setting of choice as she spent the last few days of her life doing what she loved most being around her family. Mom, I miss you."

Robyn Owens, RN, BSN
Nurse Manager at Harris Methodist Northwest
”I have been very honored to be given the privilege of teaching nursing students as a Graduate Teaching assistant. I remember one particular student that was struggling with a concept and I was able to explain it to her in such a way that she understood it finally. You could literally see her eyes light up.  It is truly an honor to be able to share my knowledge with others and facilitate new nurses coming into the profession.”

Sandi McDermott, RN, MSN, CNAA-BC
Clinical Nurse Manager, Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation
The most memorable experience that I have had in my career to date was the opening of my nursing unit at Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation three years ago. It was memorable for me because I was able to help build a culture and to create something from scratch. I have been able to watch it blossom and grow over the past three years into a unit with a 99% patient satisfaction rating.
 
Joy Lynn Lira, RN, BSN, MS, CS
Registered Nurse Behavior Health Inpatient Psychiatry,       
Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth
“I did some medical mission work in El Salvador with Mercy Ships International.  On our “off time” a group of us would travel to different villages to provide health teachings to individuals who were unable to come in for services.  After one such “teachings,” a villager brought a 6-month-old baby who had become unresponsive. The infant reportedly had been having diarrhea for three days and not breast-feeding. The infant was very dehydrated.  The only transportationto the village was a bus that ran three times a week. We were able to transport the mother and the infant to a hospital one hour away.  In route, I was able to mix some sugar with bottled water and applied this to the baby’s gums.  The baby began to arouse with the sugar water, and was even able to begin to drink by the time we arrived at the hospital.  The baby remained in the hospital for two weeks. I received follow up from a pastor who visits the village; and he reports that the baby is doing great, and is growing and healthy. I also was informed that the baby would have died if we had not intervened.”                
                                                                                
Maureen Madewell, RN                                                       
Registered Nurse, Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth  Progressive Care Unit
“As a young student nurse, I was very eager to take care of patients and prove to myself and others that I was capable of this.  I will never forget a female patient that I was assigned to take care of.  She asked for the bedpan and also told me that I would need help to assist her.  I looked at her and felt that I would not need any help so I proceeded to get her a bedpan.  Imagine my surprise when I uncovered the patient and found that she was a bilateral amputee at the hip and she was a CVA patient that could not help to turn herself.  She then repeated her statement that I was going to need help.  I felt so badly that I had essentially ignored what she had tried to tell me about herself and her condition.  It was on that day that I learned the very valuable lesson to always listen to your patients.”
 
Irene Woods, RN, CNOR
Surgery Transplant Clinician, Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth
“I have many memorable experiences in my nursing career. I can remember the first time I touched a heart in open heart surgery and felt it beat under my hand. I thought about how amazing the human body really is. It is such an honor and privilege to have a patient trust you with their life, and to help that patient to have a longer, healthier life. I find myself in awe of the miracles that happen each and every day in the operating room. We have the best surgeons and staff. This is what team work is all about.”  
 
Becky Hardie, RN, MS, HCAD
Director of Women’s and Children’s, Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth
“One of the most memorable experiences that I have had was caring for a 16 week pregnant patient named Molly.  During her pregnancy it was discovered that she had cancer.  Molly had a 5 year old daughter and elected to continue the pregnancy and chemotherapy.  Molly delivered her baby daughter at around 32 weeks.  She was an incredible mom to that baby and her sister, until Molly died, about 4 months later.  Her strength and her spirit were unforgettable.”      
                                                                                    
Mary E. Rust  RN, BS, CCM
Care Coordinator- 5th floor  Med Surg., Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano
“I first worked in the ED.  Being in the ED was like being in school. There were physicians and nurses who were great mentors. One day I took a woman who was 102 out to her car and she reached up and held my face and thanked me for caring for her.  I’ll never forget that moment. I met my husband Don, an RN, who was also a nurse in the ED.”
 
Loretta Saunders, RN, BSN, CNA, BC                               
Administrative Supervisor, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine
“I think everyone has experienced the wonderful feeling of saving someone’s life with CPR and seeing that they were successfully resuscitated and eventually went home. Or the first time you see a baby brought into the world. I would cry with every delivery that I assisted with.  But I guess one of my best memories is when one of the patients I had taken care of, came back to the hospital after their discharge and told me that they wanted to thank me for taking such wonderful care of her.  She was afraid and in quite a bit of pain.  She told me I was her guardian angel and she would never forget me.  Or it is very rewarding when a person comes to you and tells you that they became a nurse because of your example.”                  
 
Terri Scamardo RN, MSN, MHA
Director Critical Care Services, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine
“As a new nurse working night shift in a small country hospital emergency room I was nurse, tech, admit clerk and operator. It was a busy night & all 3 rooms were full. A man ran in carrying his 14 year old son who had been shot in the chest and was barely breathing. The physician immediately instructed the man to place his son on the floor (there was no place else) and told me we needed to put in a chest tube. I told the physician we didn’t have a chest tube and his quick thinking to use a large Foley catheter as a substitute saved the boys life and taught me to be creative and do the best you can with what you have.”
 
Barry Allen, RN, BSN
Invasive Cardiology Nurse, Baylor Medical Center at Irving
“The most memorable experience was a gentleman traveling through DFW Airport. He was coming to town for his daughter’s college graduation. At the airport he had chest pain and was having an MI. We brought him in for intervention with a stent. The procedure went uneventful. Later that evening, he arrested. We worked on his heart while doing CPR for an hour. He lived through a seemingly dismal chance. He was quite a save. We were so happy for him and his family.”                                                      
 
Gail Kemp, RN, BSN, CEN
ED Supervisor, Baylor Medical Center at Irving
“One of the most memorable experiences I have had was when, after going through a medical problem myself, I had a patient with a very similar problem.  She was from out of town and without family or friends.  I was able to empathize with her and give her not only support and caring from a professional point of view, but also a personal one.  I was able to sit with her and help her understand the situation, and share with her tears and words of comfort.  It was a patient-nurse bonding experience I will never forget.”                                                            
 
Julie Withaeger
Staff Nurse, Charge Nurse, Place of Work - Cook Children's
"One of the most memorable experiences of my career occurred about 2 ½ years ago. I had been providing primary nursing care to a set of twins in Cook Children's NICU. One of the twins unexpectedly became gravely ill and required emergency surgery. It was touch and go after the surgery and he was on maximal support (high frequency ventilator, dopamine, dobutamine, epinephrine, etc.). We really did not know if he was going to make it. As his parents were standing near his bedside, I looked down and noticed that his brow was furrowing and his eyelids were fluttering. I called them over quickly to see him and as we watched together, he opened his eyes. His parents began sobbing and I became very teary as we all realized that he was going to make it after all. I have received awards in short nursing career, but none are more precious to me than those moments when I remember what it is all about. That being said, I am absolutely humbled at having been chosen as one of Dallas/Fort Worth's Great 100 Nurses. It is a little surreal because I equate it with those distinguished, tenured nurses who have had an exemplary career. I am very appreciative."
 
Bonnie Gregory, Great 100 winner
In 2003 I was deployed to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany as a military nurse, where for two years I cared for badly wounded and injured soldiers who had been evacuated from Iraq. While there, I was assigned to open up a special unit for U.S. Marines hurt in the house-to-house fighting to secure the city of Fallujah. Taking care of those young men was a tremendously moving experience, and one that enabled me to use all of the training and skill I had spent so many years acquiring.

Sheila Cook-Dolciame
 Director, Call Center Operations
 Parkland Health & Hospital System
”As long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed making things and people feel better - dolls, pets, even family members.  I even worked as a candystriper & volunteer in the county hospital in Amarillo from the time I was 13 until well into my 20’s.  My mother started to nursing school during that time but was unable to complete her studies due to illness.  After my son started to school, it was time for me to start college.  I had my eye on a career as a CPA, but that was not to be.   A very close friend, an ICU nurse, helped me see the light, and I ended up in a course of study in science and nursing.  I just couldn’t see myself not working in the medical field.  I guess I just had to take up where my mother left off.”


 Filieta M. ‘Ofa
 Staff RN / Relief Charge Nurse
 Arlington Memorial Hospital

I was 4  yrs   old  then when a couple of Public Health Nurses came to my Father’s elementary/junior high school (My father was the school principal) to give out immunizations to the students. I had the privileged of giving out little reward toys to students following their shots. Here I was able to watch what the Nurses were doing and was fascinated with their work that I dreamt of becoming a Nurse when I grow up. So here I am!!
What was a memorable experience?
My most memorable experiences as a nurse would be from what I do as a volunteer community health worker. One of many incidents I encountered out in the community was a gentleman who was the soul provider for his family (wife & 5 children), and had a steady job for yrs until he was supposedly diagnosed with kidney failure, secondary to his uncontrolled diabetes.  He was supposedly told that he was dying and had a short period of time  (couple of months) to live. I was contacted by the wife with the above information and wanting to make some sense to his situation/condition, I asked to go with them to his upcoming Dr’s appointment, which from their understanding was an appt. with the nephrologist. At the Dr’s office I had found out the Dr was his general Primary Physician. When seen by the Dr his lab results (liver & kidney functions) was discussed and there was borderline level of protein and creatnine, the rest of his labs were WNL. The Dr encouraged & recommended the patient to make routine lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, rest, stress management ) & pharmacological regime. He was told to return for routine follow up appointment in 3 months.
When I had translated the information to the patient and his wife they showed great relief that he was not dying and that he didn’t have “kidney failure”.
The patient had already resigned from his work due to his understanding that he was dying, and the after effect of that misunderstanding was profound to this family in terms of emotional, psychological, economical & social, etc.
This is a classic example of health problems that we face on a daily basis where some people are foreign to the health care system and medical terms and languages; and no matter how great the care any medical professionals can provide it would not be effective if the patient doesn’t understand the information s/he is given.
As a health worker I feel that it is my mission to improve and promote quality of life through preventative measures/outreach activities, not only in the hospital setting but also out in the community.

Sally A Brown
Urology Nurse Case Manager
UT Southwestern-Zale Lipshy Hospital
Received nurses training at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. Recruited by Harris Methodist Fort Worth in 1976, who at that time had a British nurse recruitmant programme due to the nursing shortage. We all had to be Registered Nurses in England, and stay for at least 1 year. We pretty much staffed the 3-11 and 11-7 shifts there back then.
My father was a physician and my mother a nurse; they met in Cyprus during WW2, where he was a surgeon and she an OR nurse. I listened to medical stuff growing up; most of my friends were delivered by my father who had gone into general practice after the war,and my mum would help him in his practice, so becoming a nurse just seemd the natural thing to do. I didn't want a lot more school so didn't fancy the doctor thing. My mum had trained in London so they wanted me to also. My most memorable experiences were the IRA bombings in London which took place during the years I was here. Several of the injured were treated at my hosptal; it was a scary time as you never knew when or where the next one would explode. One of our professors of oncology was killed by a parcel bomb meant for his neighbor; it was very sad.
 On a lighter note, my hospital celebrated it's 850th anniversay my last year there, and we had a week long celebration - even the Queen came, it was a wonderful time. Coming to America on my own was nerveracking and exciting at the same time. Nursing is so different here, and you have different words for things, particularly medicines! You also drive on the wrong side of the road!! I intended to stay for a year and then go home and get married, but so much for that! Every day in nursing is a new day and a constant learning experience. I feel blessed to have been able to maintain my career all these years; it certainly doesn't seem that long!!!

Hospitals from all over Dallas-Fort Worth celebrated Nurse Appreciation Week with events at each respective facility.

Arlington Memorial Hospital’s slogan was “Planting the seeds of excellence.” Each nursing unit received a balloon bouquet to start the weeklong celebration. Nurse Appreciation gifts were distributed to nurses by Donna Bertram, VP/CNO. Each nursing department staff member received a bracelet with the slogan and a voucher for a free dessert item. Breakfast was delivered to each nursing unit. The nursing managers to all nursing department employees distributed candy.   
A luncheon was also planned to honor the Nursing Excellence Award winners, Great 100 Nurses and those nurses who have received this year's Physician Sponsored Nursing Scholarship awards.
 
At Baylor All Saints Medical Centers, the nursing staff elected to have a drawing for gifts in lieu of a party. The nurse managers rounded up each unit to distribute the gifts to the winners.

2007 Methodist Dallas Medical Center Nurse Week Activities for the Spirit of Nursing Storyboard campaign included Storyboard Winners in four categories selected and announced on May 4. Raffles were held all week for gifts for licensed nurses. Nurse Week cups were given to all licensed nurses, with free refills. Ice cream was also delivered to nurses working the day, evening and night shifts.
May 9 was Spirit of Nursing Discovery Day, and the facility hosted 50 to 80 students from Townview Magnet school and Irma Rangel School of Nursing Leadership. Nurses gifts were a TNA license plate holder and Nurse’s cup.

VA North Texas hosted “Excellence in Nursing” May 8 at Dallas VA Medical Center to honor its nurses, including those named to the Great 100.

Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas’s theme for the week was “The Warmth of Caring, the Light of Care.” Nurses enjoyed complimentary snacks and drinks all week and participated in a nursing leadership seminar. Celebrations were planned on individual units/departments to honor nursing staff.

Harris Methodist Fort Worth held a community/family event on May to celebrate its Great 100 Nurses.  Festival by the Creek was held Tuesday, May in Azle, Texas. They celebrated National Hospital Week and honor our nurses who were named to the Texas Nurse Associations' Annual Great 100 Nurses List.
The event included kid's activities including bounce houses, snow cones, and popcorn, safety information including free bicycle helmets, and a tour of  the Surge Capacity Field Hospital.

By Sharon K. Dingman, RN, BSN, MS
CNO, Presbyterian Hospital of Denton

Once a year across our country and others, individuals pause to reflect on and celebrate about the noble profession of “nurse” and the years of practicing both the art and science of nursing.  Most telling of this reflection is encompassed in the stories.  The spirit of nursing unites us and in our caring moments we become strong as we share in the human experiences of another…we are changed forever.

Within each of us are stories that reflect the wisdom of life.  We define ourselves with our stories.  Our life stories organize reality for us, give us our values, and enable us to explain our experience.  The telling of our stories allows us to share experiences and learn from each other.  As nurses we stand in a special place as we embrace the privilege of connecting and sharing the human experience with our patients and colleagues.  Listening with attention to one another’s stories is a creative way to say we care…and more!

In the words of American author and storyteller, Laura Simms identifies the “transpersonal nature” of caring as reflected in story or in other words, that which we give is given back:

“Storytelling is acultural.  As an art form storytelling is not a solo performance of one person telling a story and someone else hearing their words.  It is a very subtle transformative event that always takes place in the present and is reciprocal.  Image is not something one speaks and the other hears.  It is a very complex set of responses based on the listener’s previous experience, openness, own well of imagery and association, and the speaker’s own unspoken biases and capacities which comes from presence, intention, voice, understanding and openness to communication which is reciprocal.

“Story telling has the capacity to directly engage the heart and imagination in such a way that a deeper level of listening is activated, which opens the eyes of perception.  The greatest value that arises from a story does not arise from the content of the story text.  That is the apparent value.  The deepest learning happens in the unspoken story that is generated by the mind mixing of images called forth during the telling.  And, the space of timeless sacredness experienced in the process.  The thinking mind is kept entranced by the content, while the images dip down and uncover and awaken the dreaming imagination and intuitive intelligence of the listener.” (Watkins & Mohr, 2001).  

Reminded of the importance of attentively listening to another’s story is the essence of the very work of assessing a patient, planning their care and evaluating responses to care, treatment or services.   “Nurses come to know clients through the stories that clients tell about their health care experiences.  These stories provide information about the client that could not be obtained in any other way.  The art of nursing is contained in stories clients’ share about their experiences and the stories nurses share about their clients.  The stories people tell about their health care needs are opportunities for learning, practicing, reflecting and reasoning…the heart of nursing.”(Pesut & Herman, 1999).

“What would it take to use appreciation and storytelling as a way of reflections to define the work of our profession?  The stories generated from our practice about patient care and teamwork in time of high stress or emergent situations are recalled with ease.  How do we recognize that in the day to day routine work of patient care our stories and experiences provide wonderful and powerful opportunities for appreciation and reflection?  Through appreciation and reflection of our patient care stories each practitioner participates in the evaluation and development of their professional practice.”  (Dingman, 2001).

Every day experiences seem just ordinary until we pause to collectively process the many interactions and opportunities in meaningful exchanges with one another.   The ultimate handoff at the end of each shift or each day is a time to reflect on the day’s story.   Pausing for five minutes a day to reflect on the meaningful relationships shared with patients and colleagues defines our role and are illustrations of the caring spirit shared universally by nurses.  Our shared stories provide appreciation and healing for ourselves and others.  
                
‘The power of stories is that they engage both the mind and the heart and thus create connections between people, building a community of support and common understanding.”  Patients come with their story as a nursing home resident stated: Most people just want to tell their story.  That’s what they have to give, don’t you see? And, it’s a precious thing to them.  It’s their life they want to give.  You’d think people would understand what it means to us…to give our lives in a story.  So we listen to each other.  Most of what goes on here is people listening to each other’s stories.  People who work here consider that to be filling time…if they only knew.  If they’d just take a moment to listen.”(Stone, 1999).   The story heard is the life respected.  For in the story shared is the life of the person sharing.  Neither can be separated except by not listening.  
            
The telling of stories creates different ways for people to share experiences and learn from each other.  Authentically sharing something of meaning through story enhances connections between people by building a community of support and common understanding.  As nurses pause the week of May 6th, 2007, may we individually and collectively appreciate our stories, may we share our stories in celebration, and even more important, may we within our sharing discover what we feel about our stories.  For stories require us to look inside to tell if they are true for us and to know we have contributed to our profession.  

 Happy Nurses Week.  Take good care of yourself and one another.  
                     

References:
-Dingman, S.K. (2001). “Appreciation and Reflection Energizes Professional Practice.” Creative HealthCare News, 5(2). (2001).
-Pesut, D.J. & Herman, J. (1999). Clinical Reasoning, The Art & Science of Critical and Creative Thinking. Delmar Publishers.
-Stone, R.(1999). The Healing Art of Storytelling. Hyperion,NY,NY.
-Watkins, J.M & Mohr, B.J. (2001). Appreciative Inquiry.Jossey-Bass/Pfeiff.

Ellen Pitcher, RN, MSN, MBA CNAA
Vice President Patient Services/Chief Nursing Officer
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano


Ellen Pitcher, RN, MSN, MBA CNAA, Vice President Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer of Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano chose to become a nurse when she was in high school.  She had two aunts who were in the profession as her inspiration.  “The profession offers a diversity of roles and career paths,” states Pitcher.  “The most important aspect is the impact you have on patients and their families. We are privileged to help patients and their families through their sacred journey during their road to recovery. Over the course of one’s career you care for patients and their families that you will never forget; these are the treasured memories which validates why we do what we do.”

Ellen’s greatest rewards in nursing are “When I meet with patients, families and physicians and they shared with me the great experience they have had at Baylor Plano. We are blessed with an awesome clinical staff that is focused on the patient. We work closely with a number of nursing schools in the area and seeing the student grow professionally and become successful as a professional nurse is gratifying.”

For Ellen, the biggest challenges in nursing are “Planning for the future of healthcare delivery. This is a very competitive and complex business with multiple competing priorities. We must maintain the delicate balance of staying focused on what is best for the patient, and our staff as they deliver the care.”
Ellen’s biggest personal challenge was “Opening Baylor Plano in five and half months. We brought together an incredible team of leaders and staff to face the challenge. We had planned to open the hospital on December 1st at midnight. We all met in the lobby of the hospital about an hour before do to Blessing of the Hands ceremony. We had physicians, security guards, and the clinical staff standing side by side during this event. It was an experience I will not forget and was the culmination of incredibly long hours by hundreds of people to be at that moment in time. “

Ellen remembers as one of her favorite nursing success stories, a young man she cared for early in her career who had suffered a brain injury.  “It was a great experience working with him and his family over the course of several months and watching his improvement. It was a joyous moment when he walked out of his hospital room to go home. “

Ellen was also involved in the process of building the David E. Bloxom Tower at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth. “It was a great team effort in ensuring we met the needs of the patients, staff and physicians as we brought that building on line. We had a wonderful experience in working together to make it happen. We applied for the ICU Design award after completion, which is a national award and won. It was a great tribute to the dedication of that team.”

Being selected as a Great 100 nurse was a once in a lifetime experience and an incredible honor for Ellen.  “To be selected by your peers for the work that you are passionate about…and the event at the Meyerson is unforgettable. We come together to celebrate the profession of nursing and the contributions of those selected across the metroplex in a variety of roles.”

Barbara Clark Mims, RN, MSN, CCRN
Nurse Internship Manager
Critical Care and Trauma Nurse Internship
Parkland Health and Hospital System

Barbara Clark Mims, RN, MSN, CCRN, is the Nurse Internship Manager of the Critical Care and Trauma Nurse Internship department of Parkland Health and Hospital System.  Barbara decided to become a nurse during her junior year in high school, after spending the summer as a volunteer at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.

As a nurse educator, Barbara said her biggest rewards, “Come from seeing new graduate nurses get started in their first jobs, in the highly stressful and intensely challenging environment of the critical care unit.  These nurses are often very anxious but highly motivated, and it is very gratifying to see them progress from novice to expert in a very short period of time. After many years in this position, I have the joy of watching my former nurse interns excel in many different roles, including expert bedside nurse, nurse manager, nurse educator, university faculty, nurse practitioner, director of nursing education, chief nurse officer, and others. This provides immense personal fulfillment for me.”

Barbara said her biggest challenges in nursing, “Come from the constant changes in nursing, and the need to stay abreast of cutting-edge technology, pharmacology, and medical and surgical treatment.”  Barbara must keep up with these changes to ensure that her nurse internship curriculum is up-to-date.  She also said it is challenging to find time to stay current in nursing while fulfilling her management responsibilities, publishing, lecturing, and balancing family and personal life.

“It was a great honor to be selected as a member of the Great 100,” Barbara said.  “The members of this group are people whom I admire and respect a great deal, as they are all so accomplished in so many ways.  I know that the criteria used for selection are stringent, and I feel indeed fortunate to have been named to this esteemed group.”

By Kim Higgins


Jan Coder, executive coordinator for Parkland Hospital, rapidly rattles off five phone numbers, stored meticulously in her detail-driven brain, of additional useful contacts for the Great 100.  Together with Pat Pollock, administrative director of District 4 of the Texas Nurses Association, the duo attend to every detail and task required to make the evening at the Meyerson something spectacular. The pair of seasoned maestros pulled off another flawlessly orchestrated evening May 9 to honor nursing’s finest .

Jan became involved with the Great 100 as Dr. Beth Mancini’s assistant, when Dr. Mancini (the founder of the Dallas/Fort Worth Great 100) was the CNO at Parkland.  “When Dr. Mancini left Parkland, there was an agreement that I would still support the Great 100,” Jan said. “I worked with Dr. Mancini for many years and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her…we are family.”

Jan Coder and Pat Pollock have the event to a science and coordinate most of the function behind the scenes. When the curtain falls on this year’s ceremony, planning begins for year eighteen.  “It’s a little bit time consuming,” Jan said, “but Pat and I have it down – we’ve done it for so many years.”

“We send out a letter to institutions telling them it’s time to nominate for the next year,” Jan explained.  “We give the deadline for nominations, instructions for nominating an individual, and the criteria.”  Nominations come from peers, doctors, patients, school districts, universities, retirees – for any one who is a nurse. There is a different selection committee every year so that no one is biased.  The nominations are blinded. When nominations come in there is a cover letter, if the nomination letter states a person’s name, job title, or place of employment, the nomination is tossed out. For fairness, members of the selection committee are asked to pass on a nomination to someone else, if they feel they know the identity of a candidate.  This year the Great 100 committee received 583 nominations.

“We have a criteria score sheet that we don’t share with anybody,” Jan stated. Each nomination is read by two people and scored. Jan and Pat take the two scores, average them and determine the top 100.  Prior to the reading and scoring of nominations, each one is checked first to ensure that they have not received the award in the past – it’s a one time thing – and secondly the nominee is verified with the Board of Nurse Examiners for good standing. The winners are sent a notification letter first, followed by those who nominated them.  Once the letters have time to reach recipients, announcement letters are sent to institutions, even if they didn’t have a nomination.  Donations, sponsorship and ads for the program are solicited.

By Kim Higgins


The iconic tradition of the Great 100 Nurses of Dallas-Fort Worth continued for its 17th consecutive year at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, May 9. The event was to honor nurses for excellence in the art and science of nursing. The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council Administrators and the Texas Nursing Association Districts 3 and 4 administered the award. The D/FW awards were founded by Beth Mancini, RN, PhD, who is the chair of the celebration. Dr. Mancini is a professor and associate dean for the undergraduate program with UTA’s School of Nursing.

P.K. Shirley, who is the founder of the concept in New Orleans, inspired the award. Dr. Mancini represented the D/FW Hospital Council’s Nurse Administrator group, when she and other leaders of D/FW’s nursing organizations were invited to New Orleans to learn more about the award. “It was different in that it was not limited to any one type of nursing,” Mancini said. “It included the broad spectrum of nursing in the community and it brought the community together to honor nursing.” The other purpose of the award is to fund-raise for scholarships. When Dr. Mancini decided to bring the program to this metroplex she said, “We were at a point where we wanted to put nursing in a positive light and encourage individuals to look at nursing – the worth of nursing – and to create scholarships so that individuals could go to nursing school and meet the needs of our local community.”

“Committing to others in a way that goes beyond what you have to do or what the job calls for,” is the quality needed to be considered a Great 100, Mancini explained. “It means seeking for others what you would want for yourself or your loved ones. It is going the extra mile for your patients, their families, your community and your students, not because you have to, but because you want to and because you can make a difference by doing so.”

Why has this award become such a meaningful honor that has endured for so many years? “Its unique nature,” stated Mancini. “To be nominated by family members, patients, peers, and administrators is an honor in and of itself.” The Great 100 award has become recognized throughout the nursing profession as an esteemed honor and prestigious accomplishment. “I have individuals tell me that they are aspiring to become a Great 100 nurse. They are eager to join those ranks; which is why I think we get more than 500 nominations every year for the 100 that are selected.” This year’s event brought the total number of honorees to 1700. “Over the years, I have vicariously shared the thrill with each winner. It is so affirming of what it means to be a nurse. It’s an incredibly special privilege.”

“I didn’t intend to be a nurse,” Mancini said. Her career goal was to be a surgeon. She met her husband at 19; they were engaged in a month and married within a year. “One of us had to go to work.” With 2 years of pre-med behind her, Dr. Mancini decided to go to nursing school and support them as a practicing nurse. When her husband finished his education, she thought she would continue her education towards becoming a surgeon. “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” she said. “I had found what I was destined to do – I would never want to be anything other than a nurse.”

“The hallmark of a ‘Great Nurse’,” according to Mancini, “is a combination of intent and demonstrated behaviors. To my mind, the qualities of the Great 100 embody all of the elements that the nursing profession stands for and, when put into action by a nurse, elevates not only that nurse, but our profession as well. These qualities include commitment, knowledge, compassion, empathy, a willingness to care more than others think is prudent and a sense of self that allows one to take chances even though it means sometimes making mistakes.”

The most important aspect of the Great 100 ceremony for Dr. Mancini is the recognition it affords recipients for a job well done - lauding the value these nurses bring to the patients that they serve. Clearly by its longevity, this is one successful contribution to the public praise that great nurses so richly deserve.

By Kim Higgins

Dennis Johnson, long time emcee of the Great 100 said, “I am a believer that nursing care is absolutely essential to one’s health and recovery from illness or injury.” This year’s ceremony marked Johnson’s 16th occasion to announce the winners’ names as they cross the stage of The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Johnson missed the event in 2000, the year his father passed away. Johnson is the executive producer of video productions for Texas Health Resources and spent 17 years with WFAA-TV (Channel 8) as the medical reporter. Many will remember him from his signature “Health Wise” forum. Johnson recalled, “It was 1990 when the Great 100 folks approached me to host. I thought that was a very nice honor and I was flattered that they would ask me. I said yes and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

“I have often thought that prior to 1990, nurses did not get the recognition they fully and richly deserve for what they do – and even with the Great 100 – and as big an honor as it is for the nurses that are chosen, I still think they deserve even more recognition for what they do every day,’ Johnson said.

Johnson said that when he was going to college he wanted to be a doctor but math wasn’t his best subject. Always curious about medicine and enjoying journalism, he was able to put the two together and become a medical reporter in television news. Some of his most enjoyable pieces over the years had to do with nurses and nursing. Many, many years ago during a Great 100 evening Johnson made the observation that he had seen a bumper sticker that said “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” He stated that: “There ought to be a bumper sticker that says, 'If you recovered from an illness or injury, thank a nurse.' Someone sent him a bumper sticker that said just that, and it was displayed in his office at Channel 8 for many years.

“The Great 100 events are always fun because it’s meant to be," said Johnson. "Even though you’re in the Meyerson, which a lot of people consider a very stoic and staid kind of place…it becomes a raucous venue. Several years ago I said it’s like meeting at the Mortatoruim, because people bring noisemakers, they cheer for the nurses they have come to see be honored, and it is absolutely encouraged that people basically go nuts! It’s a celebration and a party in a very fancy venue. Everybody really gets into it and it’s very interesting to see from year to year the novel noisemaking devices…I can only imagine what people will come up with this year – to top last year and the year before that. Air horns, wolf whistles, change in tin cans – you name it they bring it!”

Families, co-workers, and hospital leadership come to celebrate nursing excellence. 1600 soon to be 1700 nurses have been announced as recipients of this prestigious award. Johnson, as a medical media professional, has known many of them. “It’s really neat to see them get a moment like that…to get to walk across the stage and have a spotlight shine on them, and to have people in the audience cheering and going crazy.”