National Nurses Week: Excellence Awards Affirm Value of Travel Nurses to Patient Care

SAN DIEGO, May 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Travel nurses are vital to quality patient care in the United States, so for National Nurses Week, AMN Healthcare and The Center for the Advancement of Healthcare Professionals presented 2016 Commitment to Excellence Awards to four travel nurses for innovation, passion, customer focus and overall commitment to excellence.

AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to healthcare facilities across the nation.  

"Excellence in nursing is absolutely vital to quality patient care and the patient experience, and that's why it's always been a fundamental part of our work at AMN Healthcare," said AMN Healthcare President and CEO Susan Salka. "Beginning this year, we are doing something special to recognize our nurses on assignment for their exceptional service that impacts the lives of patients across thousands of facilities nationwide."

While always part of the nursing environment, travel nurses have become critically important due to the worsening nurse shortage and the growing need for workforce flexibility in the increasingly complex healthcare industry. Research has clearly showed that temporary and travel nurses are equivalent to permanent staff nurses in terms of quality of care, cost and patient satisfaction.

"Travel nurses provide enormous value to our nation's healthcare system," said Ralph Henderson, AMN Healthcare President, Professional Services and Staffing. "With conclusive evidence of their benefit to healthcare, hospitals and health systems are increasing their mix of temporary RN's to provide the highest quality and most efficient patient care."

As part of Nurses Week, May 6 through May 12 -- Florence Nightingale's birthday -- the Commitment to Excellence Awards honors clinicians for their exceptional service. The following four outstanding travel nurses were chosen from among a multitude of nominees whose overall excellence made it difficult to select the winners. These nurses showed an unwavering commitment to excellence in the nursing profession that goes far beyond their job requirements. The nominations were a testament to the high quality of nurses that AMN Healthcare has on assignment.

Innovation Award for ongoing pursuit of personal and professional excellence through innovation and the advancement of patient care.

Sean Wallace, RN, BSN, an Emergency Room nurse on assignment at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, CT

"Sean is an extraordinary nurse. He has knowledge, experience and truly cares for his patients. He is adaptable to change and is able to see the big picture… Management has been listening to his input about changes that need to be made to make it a better hospital."

Passion Award for exemplifying the highest standards of professional excellence through leadership and extraordinary commitment to service throughout their healthcare community.

Kenny Hancock, RN, BSN, a PCU nurse on assignment at MedStar Health, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD.

"Kenny embodies what it means to have a passion for nursing… In nursing school, he created a mentor program at our university so that new students would have an experienced graduate to help them along the way. Kenny is passionate about caring for others."

Customer Focus Award for demonstrating an unwavering dedication to the improvement of patient care across all specialties and embodying the core values of the nursing profession in actions and words.

Kimberleigh Harvey, RN, BSN, MSN, a Med/Surg nurse on assignment at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, NY

"Kimberleigh is ALWAYS positive - no matter what the situation. She handles everything with control and poise. She consistently wins peer-nominated awards at the hospitals where her assignments are - not an easy feat for a traveler."

Overall Commitment to Excellence Award for all of these qualities, and continually striving to improve patient care through education and innovation, displaying an unmatched passion for the profession.

Brianne Carruthers, RN, BSN, a PICU nurse on assignment at Rady Children's Hospital –San Diego

"Brianne is perhaps the most compassionate and giving RN I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Her respect for the profession as well as her passion for caring for others is not only inspiring, but humbling. She is a dedicated travel nurse while still juggling her PRN job back home in CO, and her mission work in Nicaragua. She is selfless and brilliant."

Honorable Mention
Jessica Tellier, RN, BSN, PICU. "Jessica navigates her contracts around numerous international medical missions.  It seems as soon as she returns, she is already planning/booking her next mission trip. She is caring and selfless in giving so much of her time and medical skills to villages that are severely under developed and cared for!  As a Peds CVICU RN, her talent is top notch… and it is wonderful that she gives her time to work with high acuity patients in limited resource areas."

About AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to healthcare facilities across the nation. The Company provides unparalleled access to the most comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities.  With insights and expertise, AMN Healthcare helps providers optimize their workforce to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency, and improve patient outcomes. AMN delivers managed services programs, healthcare executive search solutions, vendor management systems, recruitment process outsourcing, predictive modeling, and other consulting services. Clients include acute-care hospitals, community health centers and clinics, physician practice groups, retail and urgent care centers, home health facilities, and many other healthcare settings. For more information about AMN Healthcare, visit www.amnhealthcare.com.

About Good Samaritan Hospital, a Member of the Westchester Medical Center
Health Network
Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, New York, is a 286-bed hospital providing emergency, medical, surgical, obstetrical/gynecological and acute care services to residents of Rockland and southern Orange Counties in New York; and northern Bergen County, New Jersey.  The hospital is home to a recognized cardiovascular program, comprehensive cancer treatment services, the area's leading Wound and Hyperbaric Institute and outstanding maternal/child services that includes a Children's Diagnostic Center. Good Samaritan Hospital also provides social, psychiatric and substance abuse services and its certified home care agency supports residents of the Hudson Valley and beyond.  For more information about Good Samaritan Hospital visit bschs.bonsecours.com or follow the hospital at Facebook.com/BSCGSRMC or Twitter.com/BSCHS

About Rady Children's Hospital
Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego is a 520-bed pediatric care facility providing the largest source of comprehensive pediatric medical services in San Diego, Southern Riverside and Imperial counties. Rady Children's is the only hospital in the San Diego area dedicated exclusively to pediatric healthcare and is the region's only designated pediatric trauma center. In June 2015, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rady Children's among the best children's hospitals in the nation in all ten pediatric specialties the magazine surveyed. Rady Children's is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations to support its mission. For more information, visit www.rchsd.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo.

About MedStar Health
MedStar Health is a not-for-profit health system dedicated to caring for people in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, while advancing the practice of medicine through education, innovation and research. MedStar's 30,000 associates, 6,000 affiliated physicians, 10 hospitals, ambulatory care and urgent care centers, and the MedStar Health Research Institute are recognized regionally and nationally for excellence in medical care. As the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University, MedStar trains more than 1,100 medical residents annually. MedStar Health's patient-first philosophy combines care, compassion and clinical excellence with an emphasis on customer service. For more information, visit MedStarHealth.org.

About Waterbury Hospital
Waterbury Hospital is a 357 bed hospital with approximately 2,000 employees which serves Waterbury and 11 surrounding communities in Western Connecticut. Waterbury Hospital also forms the cornerstone of the Greater Waterbury Health Network, a family of healthcare-related services in the community.

Media Contact:
Jim Gogek
Corporate Communications
AMN Healthcare
(858) 350-3209
[email protected]

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SOURCE AMN Healthcare