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Nurse Alliance chair honored for leadership by Maggie Diebolt Public Relations Cynthia Hough took the floor June 16 for her last meeting as chair of the MUSC Nurse Alliance. Hough, a certified transplant nurse for 6E, has been working at MUSC since 1996 and was elected chair for the Nurse Alliance in 2005. During the meeting, Hough was awarded a plaque commemorating her actions as alliance chair. Pamela Smith, R.N., Pediatric Emergency Services, will become the new chair effective July 1.   Registered nurse Cindy Hough, left, accepts a plaque from Sharon DeGrace, Critical Care and Emergency Services director, for her work as Nurse Alliance chair. As the Nurse Alliance leader, Hough worked hard during her term to establish short-term parking for meetings and encourage professional recognition for nurses, as well as help develop the Excellence Initiative and increase exposure to participation in the program. Hough worked on Moments with Marilyn, an open forum for registered nurses; the Excellence Fair; and the DAISY Award for extraordinary nurses. When considering what she will miss most upon stepping down from her position as chair, Hough immediately mentioned the friends she made during the course of her term. “I couldn’t have gone out to the first unit and talked without the support of all of you,” she said.   Hough plans to continue attending Nurse Alliance meetings but will regret being a step away from the program implementation process. She compared her feelings to those of “a proud mom watching a baby grow up.” After July 1, Hough will work full-time on 6E as the unit educator for the transplant team.   Smith, who replaced Hough as Nurse Alliance chair, recently completed her master of science in nursing and master of business administration degrees. She has worked at MUSC for 15 years, and has been a registered nurse for Pediatric Emergency Services since 1999. Smith said that she is determined to establish after-hours parking for nurses, and hopes to promote the nursing professional development program. Smith also would like to increase participation in the Nurse Alliance. Kris Douglas, R.N., Critical Care and Emergency Services, was voted chair-elect for the upcoming term.   Marilyn Schaffner, R.N., Clinical Services Administration and chief nursing officer, said: “As the first Nurse Alliance chair, Cindy Hough truly set the bar high. Together with Pam Smith, she helped actualize the expectations of the chair. This past year, Cindy acted on behalf of the nurses of MUHA. She was their eyes and ears. She listened to staff concerns, helped address misperceptions and routed ongoing issues to the proper nurse councils. She was an effective leader for nurses at MUHA. Cindy has now passed the torch to Pam Smith, the 2006 Nurse Alliance chair. Pam will continue to represent nursing and begin the process of mentoring Kris Douglas, the 2006 chair-elect of Nurse Alliance. Together, they will strengthen shared leadership at MUHA.”   Laurie Zone-Smith, R.N., Clinical Services Administration, praised Hough, Smith and Douglas. “Cindy Hough has set the pace and the professional standard for the elected chair of the Nurse Alliance. She has represented the nurses of MUSC with integrity and pride," she said. "We welcome Pam Smith who will capably serve as the new chair with many years of MUSC experience and expertise in nursing practice, operations and education. Pam will mentor Kris Douglas as co-chair this year. Kris brings to the role fresh and innovative ideas that will enhance the image of nursing at MUSC and in the community. Congratulations to Cindy, Pam and Kris.”   The purpose of the MUSC Nurse Alliance is to provide a shared leadership structure for the registered nurses to take ownership of nursing issues, assure an autonomous nursing staff that changes current practice and function to benefit patients, and promote strong relationships among interdisciplinary partners and nursing staff.   The Nurse Alliance membership includes all MUSC registered nurses and College of Nursing faculty and consists of the Nurse Executive Committee and four councils—practice, education, research & performance improvement, and leadership and organizational climate.   All nurses are encouraged to bring professional and clinical issues to the Nurse Alliance and councils for discussion.     Friday, June 30, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.