Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/308706
t m c » p u l s e | m a y 7, 2 0 1 4 20 National Nurses Week: May 6-12, 2014 A Celebration of Exceptional Nurses Across the Texas Medical Center birth experience. She always has a smile on her face and makes everyone around her feel special." — Kirsten Benjamin, Administrative Director of Women's Services M E M o R I A L H E R M A N N – T E x A S M E D I C A L C E N T E R Lavelle Grubb, R.N. John S. Dunn Sr. Burn Center "As a burn nurse for the past 30 years, Lavelle is the epitome of what a nurse should be: kind, caring, intelligent, hard-working, giving and a mentor. She goes out of her way to make her patients feel special and well cared for, while at the same time, giving them the best possible care." — Debra Mulkey, R.N., colleague at The John S. Dunn Sr. Burn Center at the Memorial Hermann Texas Trauma Institute Rudy Cabrera, R.N. Memorial Hermann Life Flight "Rudy is an excellent clinician and has become the Life Flight crew educator for the department. He is a mentor and preceptor to all of the employees. He has revamped our medical crew orientation and has used evidence-based medicine to update our Life Flight Patient Care Guidelines. The crew even likes to tease him with the nickname 'super nurse.'" — Georgian "Georgie" Brown, Chief Flight Nurse for Memorial Hermann Life Flight Wimberly Melton, R.N. Shock Trauma Intensive Care Unit "A simple 'thank you' seems wholly inad- equate to express our appreciation for the nursing care she provided when our 19-year-old granddaughter, Cherissa, was a patient in Memorial Hermann (Texas Trauma Institute)'s Shock C H I L D R E N ' S M E M o R I A L H E R M A N N H o S P I TA L Melissa "Missy" Howard, R.N. Pediatric Intensive Care Unit "Missy is always willing to go the extra mile for her patients, families and peers. She seeks out opportunities to help others and is incredibly giving of her time. She serves as an excellent mentor for our recent graduates and new nurses. Our families frequently request her because she not only has critical nursing skills but also the caring and loving attitude necessary to be an exceptional nurse." — Sharron Kirby, Clinical Manager of the PICU MelissaJoy "MJ" Cox, R.N. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit "MelissaJoy is an inspiration to those around her with her unwavering advocacy for our patients and for all underserved children. She spends her vacation time each year on mission- ary trips around the world and she has found her calling working with orphaned children in Uganda. She will be leaving our NICU team in May to work for a year in Uganda as a child advocate. This is volunteer work and she has fundraised the money that she will need to live for a year while taking care of these children in need. We are so proud of the work that MJ has done here and the work that she will do in Uganda supporting children." — Nicole Francis, Clinical Director of the NICU Melissa Peguero, R.N. Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum "Melissa is extremely passionate about being able to actively be there for and participate with the family during their Trauma ICU in June. From the moment that my husband and I arrived on the unit, she provided us with everything we needed to cope with the situation we faced. I will forever remember the kind- ness, sensitivity, responsiveness, respect, and support she provided every moment throughout that day and into the night. From one critical care nurse to another, from one trauma nurse to another, you were beyond the best, Wimberly, so thank you." — JoAnn Grif Alspach, R.N., Editor of Critical Care Nurse Journal T H E U N I v E R S I T y o F T E x A S M D A N D E R S o N CA N C E R C E N T E R Theresa Johnson, B.S.N., R.N., C.B.C.N. Nellie B. Connally Breast Center "Theresa epitomizes all that a breast care nurse should be and has a passion for thoughtfully engaging patients and their caregivers. She also assumes a leadership role in supporting other nurses on their journeys toward certification, which has led to 100% of MD Anderson's eligible breast center nurses becoming certified." —Susan Ferguson, Clinical Administrative Director for the Breast Center Angela Krach, B.S.N., R.N., o.C.N. Inpatient Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapies Unit "It's difficult to stand out, head and shoulders above the other nurses at an institution of MD Anderson's magni- tude. But Angela Krach does stand out — not only for her exceptional clinical skills, but also for her caring compassion and commitment to patients and caregivers." — Colleague Mary Lou Warren, D.N.P., R.N., C.C.R.N., A.C.N.S.-B.C., C.C.C.N.S. Department of Critical Care "Mary Lou relentlessly promotes excellent patient care. She has out- standing communication skills, thinks system-wide, and demonstrates the values of the advanced practitioners in the current health care system." — Joseph Nates, Professor in Critical Care H o U S T o N M E T H o D I S T H o S P I TA L Haley Mattiza, B.S.N., R.N., C.C.R.N. Medical ICU "During her five years as a registered nurse, Haley has blossomed and grown into an amazing, compassionate health care provider. I have witnessed firsthand Haley's quick mind, caring heart and compassionate spirit. Haley is not one to stand on the sidelines and let things happen — she makes things happen! Haley's caring heart is evident in the way she treats her patients and their families." — Preceptor Christie Aguirre, B.S.N., R.N., C.H.P.N. Main 3NW, AOD (Admission, Observation, Discharge) "Christie conducts herself in a pro- fessional manner at all times. She is always positive and enthusiastic, and demonstrates empathy in a caring manner to patients and family mem- bers. She is patient and very methodical in her teaching skills for the nurses she mentors and provides explanations and rationales to support her techniques. She is willing to always go that extra mile, and her patients can see and feel it." — Manager (continued page 22)