Bothwell Names Nurse, Support Staff Person of the Year

Bothwell Regional Health Center kicked off National Nurses Week on Friday, May 6, with a celebration and reception in the Bothwell Café.

Chief Nursing Officer Pamela Shute, Chief Executive Officer Jimmy Robertson and Board of Trustees Chairman Peggy Van Dyke spoke about the special traits nurses require and the challenges and rewards of their work. Mayor Stephen Galliher read a proclamation thanking nurses for their work.

Lesley Jackson, registered nurse in the Emergency Department, was chosen as the Nurse of the Year. Jackson, Sedalia, has been employed at Bothwell for five and a half years.

“Lesley keeps a positive attitude even during the most hectic and challenging times in the Emergency Department,” said department Director Joe Keary. “She is a true role model for our staff and has embraced recent changes and has helped other staff understand how beneficial they are.”

Jackson was selected for the award from among 15 nurses who were nominated by their peers. Nominees included:
Karen Adams, LPN, Orthopedics
Margaret Benson, RN, 2 Southwest
Michelle Brewer, RN, Pediatrics
Sandra Cornine, RN, 2 Southwest
Sherri Egbert, RN, Peer Review
Lesley Jackson, RN, Emergency Department
Janice Johnson, RN, Nursery
Susan Lamb, RN, 2 Southwest
Christina Oelrichs, RN, Women’s Health
Pavel Ogorodnik, RN, Critical Care Unit
Lisa Shaw, RN, 2 Southwest
Wayne Smither, CRNA, Anesthesiology
Julie Snow, RN, Orthopedics
Jennifer Unkel, RN, Risk Management/Regulatory Compliance
Gloria Washburn, RN, 2 Southwest

Michele “Muffy” Potts, an obstetrics technician in the Women’s Health Unit, was honored as the Nursing Support Staff Person of the Year. Potts is a longtime Bothwell employee, having joined the staff in 1989.

“Muffy attends to each patient as if they are the only one she has to care for on that shift, and she always puts the patient’s needs first,” said Women’s Health Director Lana Kelly, “She is loyal and kind and does whatever she can to promote exceptional care wherever she is needed each day.”

Potts was chosen from among a field of 10 nominees. Other nominees included:
Bobbi Dorr, certified nurse assistant, Skilled Nursing Unit
Rosie Douglas, certified nurse assistant, 2 Southwest
Kim Hagan, certified nurse assistant, 2 Southwest
Marsha Miyashiro, instrument aide, Perioperative Services
Susan Roe, ward clerk, Orthopedics
Gina Staus, certified nurse assistant, Orthopedics
Jennifer Suthers, clerk, Emergency Department
Karen Wienberg, certified nurse assistant /ward clerk, 2 Southwest
Debbie Williams, technician, Emergency Department

The Pat Gaunt Leadership in Nursing Scholarships, presented by the Bothwell Foundation, were presented to:
Christina Oelrichs, RN in Women’s Health, who is pursuing a master’s degree in Nursing Education ($500);
2 North/Short Stay/Urodynamics for registered nurses Cassie Kindle and Ashley Holmberg to attend national training for urology procedures ($2,790);
Clinical Education for ACLS training scenarios to use with a nurse training mannequin ($3,000).

The Leadership in Nursing Scholarship is made possible by a bequest from the estate of Patricia Gaunt, who was a registered nurse at Bothwell from 1969 until her retirement in 2001. Her bequest provides resources for other nurses to have the training they need to better serve the patients they care for each day.

Nurse of the Year cutline: Emergency Department Director Joe Keary, left, talks about how Lesley Jackson, a registered nurse in the department, is a role model for her peers and treats her patients with compassion and respect.
Staff support person of the year cutline: Michele “Muffy” Potts was named the nursing support staff person of the year. An obstetrics technician in the Women’s Health Unit, Potts has worked at the hospital since 1989.
Pat Gaunt Scholarship Winners cutlines:
Cassie Kindle, left, and Ashley Holmberg, registered nurses in the 2 North/Short Stay Unit where urology procedures are performed, received a Pat Gaunt Leadership in Nursing scholarship from the Bothwell Foundation to attend a national urology training conference.

Clinical Education Coordinator Linda Cook explains how the Nurse Anne mannequin helps on training nurses in advanced cardiac life support. The Foundation also awarded a Pat Gaunt Scholarship for the purchases of computerized training scenarios for the mannequin.

Christina Oelrichs, left, received a scholarship from the Bothwell Foundation, represented by Executive Director Lisa Church, to pursue a master’s degree in nursing education. Oelrichs is a registered nurse in the Women’s Health Unit.