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The 15 nurses who receive the 2023 Circle of Excellence award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) are noted for their solution-oriented approaches to challenges, including reducing healthcare-associated infection rates, improving the work environment, and helping their organizations and communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Criteria used to evaluate Circle of Excellence award candidates include relentless promotion of patient-driven excellence; strong communication skills; true collaboration; effective decision-making; meaningful recognition of others; ability to transform thinking, structures and processes; and ability to address challenges and remove barriers to excellent patient care and achieve visible results through leadership.
“These healthcare professionals demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to achieving excellent outcomes in the care of acutely and critically ill patients and their families,” said AACN President Amanda Bettencourt. “The Circle of Excellence recipients are breaking new ground and charting a path for a brighter future, one in which nurses are valued as the leaders they are. In these challenging times, they are Starting Now to ensure that every patient gets the excellent care they deserve and every nurse has the skills they need to provide that care.”
Recipients of the 2023 AACN Circle of Excellence award (in alphabetical order):
- Nicole Athans, lead clinical nurse, intensive care unit, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, California
- Meghan Bailey, clinical nurse specialist, UF Health, Gainesville, Florida
- Raymond Boudreaux III, unit supervisor, progressive care unit, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Steve Branham, professor (retired), Texas Tech University, and critical care nurse practitioner, Hicuity Health, Houston
- Sherry Cazares, nurse coordinator, Banner University Medical Center North Clinic, Tucson, Arizona
- Danoris Chinn, clinical nurse leader, VA North Texas Health Care System, DeSoto
- Kisler “Angelle” Cooper, unit director, neuro critical care unit, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Nadine Huntsman, nurse manager, Bassett Healthcare/Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown, New York
- Susan Loyola, cardiovascular clinical nurse, Northeast Baptist Hospital, San Antonio, Texas
- Joan Marie Maranon, nurse manager, Hackensack Meridian Health, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, New Jersey
- Jessica Poehler, clinical nurse specialist, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato, Minnesota
- Myriam Poindijour, clinical nurse specialist, Albert Einstein Health Network, Philadelphia
- Julie Powers, assistant vice president, adult health, Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill, New Jersey
- Mila Sprouse, vice president, critical care, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Houston
- Shirley Visperas, registered nurse, The Queen’s Medical Center, Honolulu
AACN’s Circle of Excellence award aligns with the association’s mission to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution.
They will be recognized during AACN’s National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI), Philadelphia, May 22-24.
Highly regarded for its responsiveness to current trends in the nursing profession and the environments where nurses work, the award is supported by grants from Elsevier and Dale Medical.
About the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition: Established in 1974, AACN’s National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) represents the world’s largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families. Bedside nurses, nurse educators, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners attend NTI.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world's largest specialty nursing organization, with more than 130,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 27071 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme
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