Nurses at Windsor Regional were honoured this week to recognize nursing excellence and continuing education efforts.
Winners of the Jeanne Mance Extraordinary Nursing Care Awards go to a nurse who continually goes above and beyond to provide compassionate and professional care to patients and exemplifies teamwork, compassion, stewardship and respect. This year’ recipients in alphabetical order are:
- Kim Badour, RN
Kim works on 4West/Oncology at Met Campus. A nurse for more than 25 years, Kim is described as having shown “exemplary care towards not only her patients on 4W Oncology, but to all those she works alongside … Any nurse that works alongside Kim is already a better nurse, as she is always teaching and demonstrating excellent care for those around her …Her motherly warmth and caring spirit makes patients and coworkers feel at home, especially in difficult situation.”
- Gabriela Brown, RN
Gabriela is the Charge Nurse in Adult Day Surgery/Endoscopy at Ouellette Campus. “Gabriela goes above and beyond to ensure the patient journey is safe and efficient. The volume of patients seen in endoscopy would not be possible without Gabby constantly adjusting staff, scheduling, and staying on top of patient flow. She is an advocate for the patients and treats everyone as if they were her own family.”
- Sean Desmarais, RN
Sean works in the Emergency Department at Met Campus. He is described as “always going above and beyond not only for his patients but his coworkers as well. Any questions or help you may need he is willing to teach and come help, regardless of how busy he may be himself in his own assignment … He is a great leader in stressful situations and is able to lead the team with critical patients. He has excellent communication skills and is approachable for other staff members. Most staff members turn to this individual first for answers to questions … He is the nurse that we all aspire to be.”
- Vanessa Hewitson, RPN
Vanessa works in Dialysis at the Bell Building adjacent to Ouellette Campus. According to colleagues, Vanessa “consistently goes above and beyond for patients. She does ‘Elf on the Shelf’ every year, decorates for holidays, celebrates their special occasions and is constantly smiling and upbeat … She advocates for patients and their well-being and is genuinely kind and considerate to all staff.”
- Geraldine Leclair, RN
Gerri works in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Ouellette Campus She is a dedicated nurse who has always gone above and beyond, recognized by colleagues as “simply amazing to everyone she meets and takes care of. Speaking with her on the phone, she is always so kind and professional. I have had patients that come back for angiograms a second and third time, and they speak so highly of her. That is never a shock to me, because that is who she is … Gerri is one of our hospital’s top nurses and she certainly deserves an award for her amazing contribution to this hospital.”
- Tanya Marra, RPN
Tanya works in the Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) at Ouellette Campus. She is described by colleagues for showing “compassion every day she works by advocating for her patients and ensuring their needs are met. You would not be surprised to find her at the bedside providing emotional support, sitting and listening to her patients. She cares for the whole floor and cares for each patient as an individual … Patients, families and peers enjoy working with her. She is a true asset to her team and the hospital!”
- Clara Noseworthy, RN
Clara, a nurse for 42 years, works in the Intensive Care Unit at Met Campus. She is recognized by colleagues for her being “eager to work and happy to share her wealth of knowledge amongst her peers. She wears her heart on her sleeve and treats every patient and family like they are her own. She likely could have retired during the beginning of the pandemic, but she made the commitment to work alongside the team, showing her true dedication and passion for the nursing profession.”
Nurses were nominated by colleagues. Dozens of nominations were received, highlighting the incredible amount of nursing talent throughout our organizations.
Four WRH nurses were also named as recipients of the annual Lori Dupont Bursary, which assists staff with continuing education costs. Each successful candidate is awarded up to $1,000.
The Bursary recipients were:
- Madison Broadbent, Family Birthing Centre, Met Campus
- Sarah Gouin, ICU, Ouellette Campus
- Sandra Maroszek, Mental Health, Ouellette Campus
- Jennifer Sweetman-Tellier, 5 North/Short Stay Medicine Unit, Met Campus
“On behalf of our entire team at Windsor Regional Hospital, I am proud to recognize and applaud the efforts of our amazing team of more than 1800 nurses for their dedication to providing compassionate, quality care,” said Karen Riddell, Chief Nursing Executive and Chief Operating Officer, Windsor Regional Hospital.
“We want to thank and celebrate the dedication and efforts of not only these award recipients selected by their peers, but to all nurses across our hospital and throughout our region.”