Three Michigan Medicine nurses bestowed Nightingale Awards

A trio of Michigan Medicine nurses were honored Thursday evening at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre during the 33^rd annual Nightingale Awards for Nursing Excellence.

Ann Marie Ramsey, Nancy Tena and Noel Baldwin each took home awards, which features a solid bronze statue of Florence Nightingale, checks for $1,000 and a Nightingale ceremonial pin. Congratulations to each of them!

Read below to learn more about their impact on their patients and teams:

Ann Marie Ramsey, N.P. | Excellence in Advances Practice Nursing

Ramsey was recognized for demonstrating excellence in patient care as an advance practice nurse. She is highly regarded for her clinical practice and expertise with pediatric home ventilator patients. Additionally, she leads outreach education programs for community-based home care staff across the state.

Ramsey also volunteers at Trails Edge Camp for Ventilator Dependent Children, which she has done since 2003. As a lead medical officer, she coordinates medical support for campers, trains and supports camp volunteers and administers on-site treatment to campers as needed in the event of injury or acute illness. Ramsey’s familiarity with the children and their parents plays a vital role in the camp’s success. She also assists with community fundraising, which allows campers to attend camp free of charge.

As a leader, Ramsey helped establish a Mott NP forum to discuss practice issues and updates. As a four-term program director for the Michigan Chapter of National Association of Pediatric NPs, she planned multiple educational conferences and expanded offerings to two-day programs with nationally recognized speakers. Now as president-elect, Ramsey is working with the U-M School of Nursing to advance quality electronic offerings. She’s also led initiatives that allow patients, traditionally hospital-bound for life, to live at home.

Learn more about Ramsey.

Nancy Tena, M.S.N., R.N., CNS-BC, CPHON, BMTCN | Excellence in Education

Tena’s commitment to specialty certification is unparalleled. She has worked to increase the percentage of specialty certified nurses on a pediatric hematology/oncology/BMT unit in 7E by applying for, and receiving, funds for this unit’s pursuit of increasing the percent of certified nurses. This included included preparation for the exam and payment of associated fees. Additionally, she placed a guide to certification application on the Oncology Nursing Hub website with instructions for utilizing a specific program for payment. Her efforts led to an impressive 21% RN recertification rate on 7E.

Tena recognized the need for patients and families to manage and participate in comprehensive, protracted individualized care plans. Her patient/caretaker binder was a hit, allowing essential content competency and educational sessions to be conducted prior to discharge. It reinforced learning by presenting the right information at the right time.

During the pandemic, she presented a town hall in MetalodoBrnzylGuinidine (MIBG) to teach colleagues about this rare, developing treatment. Moreover, she secured a grant to investigate the effects of innovative preparatory practices, which include simulation, to address the extreme isolation MIBG patients experience.

Read more: Movement at Mott Initiative Encourages Mobility and Activity for Patients

Noel Baldwin, B.S.N., R.N. | Excellence in Staff Nurse Practice

A 22-year veteran, Baldwin demonstrated excellence in direct patient care delivered in a hospital, serving in a critical care medicine unit (CCMU). He works with patients who are often cognitively impaired or unconscious, as well as on high levels of mechanical support. These factors make symptom management at the end of life complex.

Baldwin partnered with physicians, pharmacists and respiratory therapists because he recognized the need to improve nurse assessment and documentation of dyspnea-associated respiratory distress for noncommunicative patients. This partnership utilized a validated respiratory distress observation scale (RODS) and paired it with standardized opioid administration for patients experiencing respiratory distress at the end of life. This resulted in a 17% reduction in stress experienced by RNs, but most importantly, it bolstered patient comfort and provided increased family satisfaction with care.

During the pandemic, Baldwin volunteered to leave his home unit to advise on the conversion of a general care area to Michigan Medicine’s Regional Infectious Containment Unit (RICU). There, he modeled techniques to better address and manage pain in ways that reduce harm and improve function thus optimizing quality patient care. His clinical expertise established him as a resource of information on drugs, drips, respiratory interventions and communicating with families in extreme crisis. Ultimately, his efforts opened 50 ICU beds.

Learn more: Critical Care Nursing, A Balancing Act

Michigan Medicine is proud to support the Nightingale Awards for Nursing Excellence, conducted by Oakland University’s School of Nursing and its Board of Visitors.

Several Michigan Medicine leaders were in attendance including: Chief Nurse Executive Nancy May, D.N.P., RN-BC, NEA-BC; U-M Health President David C. Miller, M.D., M.P.H.; Chief Nursing Officer of Ambulatory Care Julie Ishak, R.N., M.S.N., NP-C; Interim Chief Nursing Officer of C.S Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital Kelly Baird-Cox, D.N.P., R.N., CPNP, CPEN, C.E.N., TCRN, NEA-BC, CENP; Associate Chief Nursing Officer of Medical Advanced Practice Nursing Manager Andrea Kline, Ph.D., CPNP-AC/PC, PCCM, FAAN; Clinical Nursing Directors Julie Juno-LaPan, M.S., B.S.N., RN-BC, CNML; and MaryAnn Adamczyk, B.S.N., R.N.; and Clinical Nurse Supervisor Sara Didoszak, B.S.N., R.N.