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Nurse of the Year flies above and beyond

by Heather Woolwine
Public Relations
It’s a simple, albeit golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” But it’s this rule that propelled English Myers, R.N., into a nursing career and now the honor of this year’s MUSC Nurse of the Year award.
 
 English Myers, R.N., prepares to transport a neonatal patient from another area of the state to MUSC. Myers was selected as this year’s MUSC Nurse of the Year.

The Summerville native credits her parents with emphasizing the importance of caring and treating others respectfully, and she uses the philosophy in guiding her everyday work. “As a nurse, I try to put myself in that child or parent’s position and treat them the way I would want to be treated or have my child treated, and that is with respect and honesty,” she said.
 
While most children picture themselves in numerous professions growing up, Myers couldn’t imagine becoming anything but a nurse, in part influenced by her grandmother, Marie Jahnz Salisbury, also a graduate of MUSC’s College of Nursing.
 
Prior to becoming a neonatal and pediatric flight nurse, paramedic, and clinical nurse leader, Myers traveled the country and worked for several hospitals before landing at MUSC. “MUSC was not hiring when I got out of school or I would have stayed here,” she said. “Once I returned, I worked in the NNICU and the Critical Care Hospital Options  Pool for almost two years, then accepted my present position with Meducare.”
 
“English has excellent nursing skills and always exhibits a positive attitude. Her peers relate that she is a pleasure to work with and is a great role model,” said Christine Dickson, Meducare Pediatric Team operations coordinator. “Her positive and professional attitude is contagious even when she works in the challenging environment of medical transport, which often exposes her to the atypical stressors of altitude, extreme temperatures, extremely long hours without a break, and consistently caring for critically ill infants and children.”
 
The 11-year nursing veteran joined the Meducare Pediatric Team four years ago and was noted as consistently going beyond the requirement of working assigned shifts. Her colleagues said she is extremely reliable and frequently volunteers to cover shifts and stay past her scheduled shift to ensure that all patients receive the best care possible.
 
 “English leaves a lasting positive impression on everyone that she comes in contact with. She freely shares her knowledge with co-workers and students. It is evident that she truly cares for each patient and each patient’s family. Without delaying care, she always takes the time to support the patient and the patient’s family,” Dickson said.
 
Myers serves on four hospitalwide committees (Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality Review, Nursing Partnership Advancement Program Review Board, Community Training Center Faculty, and the Nursing Alliance Committee), is the unit educator for her team and is also the Magnet representative for Pediatric Meducare.
 
“I strive to be a positive role model in my profession and to collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to provide educational opportunities to the community and to the Meducare team,” Myers said. “My ultimate goal as a transport nurse is to provide professional, safe medical transport service to critically ill patients in a timely manner, emphasizing quality care.”
 
She also regularly volunteers in the community, promoting children’s health, the services of the MUSC Children’s Hospital, and the MUSC Meducare Pediatric Transport team. 
 
A new mom, Myers and her husband, Randy, welcomed now 6-month-old Jahnz into their family in October.
 
“This is the best job I have ever had. Every day offers a different learning experience along with many challenges and rewards,” she said. “It keeps you on your toes and requires a great deal of continuing education and advanced skills, but it offers a lot of autonomy as well. I work with a great group of very knowledgeable nurses, technicians, and a manager that has the same passion for her job that I have. The most rewarding thing is to see a child recovering and know that I had a part in getting that child safely to MUSC for the higher level of care they needed. I get one of those warm fuzzy feelings, because to me, there is no greater gift than a healthy child.”
 
The MUSC Pediatric Meducare Team transports children and neonates via helicopter, ambulance and fixed wing flight from across the state to MUSC specialty units for a higher level of care than what might be received in smaller area hospitals. In one 12-hour shift, flight nurses like Myers may go to Hilton Head, Greenville and Georgetown.
 
MUSC’s Nurse of the Year exemplifies MUSC’s core values of accountability, respect, excellence, and adaptability and provides optimal patient care, demonstrates superb caring of patients and their families, as well as fostering strong collegial relationships and professional collaboration. The winner also mirrors strong professionalism by promoting nursing as a rewarding career and is involved in reflecting a positive image of nursing in the community. 
   
All hospital staff may nominate a nurse to represent their unit or program through the Award Criteria Nomination Form. Nurse managers tally the nominations to determine the unit/program winner. A hospitalwide committee reviews all the  nominations and selects the nurse exemplifying the highest standards for each clinical division. From the division winners, the MUSC nurse of the year is selected. 
 
 The MUSC Nurse of the Year is recognized at a hospitalwide “Celebrate Nursing Excellence” awards ceremony and at the Charleston Organization of Nurse Executives citywide recognition ceremony.

2005 Nursing Excellence unit, divisional winners

Surgery, Women's and Infants
April Slagle, Labor/Delivery (Division winner)
Sherryl Gibbs, 5E Nursery
Alicia Commodore, Holding/Peri-Anesthesia
Maureen Kost, PACU
Taiwana Richardson, 5W
Gemma Desagun, 5E, Postpartum

Therapeutic Services
Gayle Wadford, 7W (Division winner)
Polly Bramblett-Guffin, TCU
Vincent Chianese, 7E (Deceased, February 2005)
Carlotta Scott, Dialysis
Linda McDonald, Total Joint Replacement

House Options Pool
Julie Santos, 6E (Division winner)

Transplant Services
Wanda Beardsley, 6E (Division winner)

Children's Services
Tammy Cawthorn, 7B
Joan DeMarest, NNICU, 8 SCN/ECMO
Patricia Hussey, Pediatric Cardiology Diagnostic Service
Stephanie Morris, 7A
Liz Sterling, Children's Emergency Department
Jennifer Larkins, PICU
Amy LaRusso, 7C
Amy Williams, 8D
Kay Johnson, PCICU

Ambulatory Services
Bonita Gotbaum, Ambulatory Services (Division winner)

OncologyMed-Surg
Michelle Williams, 8W (Division winner)
Tess Wallace, 8E
Melissa Dunkerley, 10E
Alice McKie, 6W
Julie Doyle, 10W

Institute of Psychiatry
Alison Meeks, BICU (Division winner)
Cleo Bertiaux, 1N
Gwen Beall, Youth Services
Annette Warren, 3N

Heart and Vascular Center
Kris Douglass, 9PCU (Division winner)
Mary Williams, Interventional Radiology
Paris Wiggins, CTICU
Kathy Neeley, CCU

Critical Care and Emergency Services
Tica Gaymon, Emergency Services (Division winner)
Rene Mallari, MICU
Cindy Steffen, NSICU
Marlo Anderson, STNICU

Friday, May 13, 2005
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