CHICAGO, April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Nurse Rosemarie Acuna, RN, BSN, CNN, of Livingston, NJ, is so good at her complex job that she could do it in the dark -- and she has. Off-duty, and blindfolded, she practiced dialysis on herself to develop a step-by-step procedure that enabled a blind dialysis patient to care for himself at home. That’s just one example of the initiative and compassion that inspired Acuna’s colleagues to nominate her for Nursing Spectrum’s 2004 Nurse of the Year.
Acuna was selected for the honor from a field of eight regional winners, including several nurses who served in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, and other military deployments. Nominations were reviewed by members of Nursing Spectrum’s national advisory board, composed of leaders from national nursing organizations and institutions.
Acuna, a former dialysis patient and kidney transplant recipient, has worked for 20 years at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, NJ, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System. Her grand prize includes a 10-day trip to Vienna, Budapest and Prague (Nursing Spectrum’s Continuing Education Pan-European Tour); a $1,000 donation to the charity of her choice: the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Foundation for patient education and research; coverage in all 8 regional Nursing Spectrum magazines and online ( http://www.nursingspectrum.com/ ); and recognition at a gala event.
Nursing Spectrum received hundreds of submissions from the colleagues, families and friends of registered nurses across the country. The nominated RNs were evaluated as to the practice, courage, and compassion needed to excel in the nursing profession.
For Acuna, the personal and professional collided one year after she began working at the hospital’s renal (kidney) unit, when she was diagnosed with kidney problems, then renal failure. For eight years until her transplant, working full-time while dependent on hemodialysis, her motto was “I dialyze to live, not live to dialyze.” She became an expert resource for patients and staff at her own and neighboring hospitals, developed a resource manual, a Braille manual, professional education courses, and even accompanies dialysis patients on trips so they are able to take vacations. She now works in Same Day Surgery and is active in hospital and state programs to retain and advance nurses and nursing practice.
“Rosemarie exemplifies the initiative, ingenuity, and inspiration today’s nurses bring to their workplaces and communities, at home and abroad,” says Patricia Rager, RN, MSN, MBA, president and publisher of Nursing Spectrum, Hoffman Estates, IL. “Nursing is a multi-faceted profession that enables individuals to use their intellect and a wide range of skills in a diversity of settings. The Nurse of the Year award recognizes nurses throughout the country who have been nominated by their peers and patients for extraordinary service in an invaluable role.”
Nursing Spectrum is an RN-led communications company and a division of Gannett Company, Inc. The company promotes the education, recognition and support of the nursing community by providing timely, relevant, and compelling information through its award winning magazines now including NurseWeek, annual career guides, websites ( nursingspectrum.com, nurseweek.com ), Nursing Spectrum Continuing Education services, and Nursing Spectrum Career Fitness(R) Expos, reaching more than a million RNs, nursing students, and other healthcare professionals worldwide.
Nursing Spectrum’s 2004 Nurse of the Year Regional Winners New England Winner: Donna Kosiorowski, RN, MS, NCSN Supervisor of School Nurses West Haven Board of Education West Haven, Connecticut Southeastern Winner: Maj. Jacqueline Hayes-Hethington, RN, NC Readiness Flight Commander 43d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Pope AFB, NC Florida Winner: Capt. Cherron R. Galluzzo, BSN, MA, BC Nurse Manager Multiservice Unit MacDill Air Force Base, FL Midwestern Winner: Lynn Yadach-Blakey, RN, BSN Henry Ford Home Health Care Canton, MI (home) Detroit, MI (employer) Illinois Winner: Angela Baisler, RN Nurse Clinician III Pediatric Surgical Heart Unit Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital Oak Lawn, IL Greater Philadelphia/Tri-State Winner: Lt. Col. Cassandra R. Salvatore, USAF, NC Commander 305th Medical Operations Squadron McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey Washington, DC/Baltimore Region Winner: Constance Stamateris, CDR (sel), NC, USN Clinical Nurse Specialist/Clinical Educator Critical Care National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, MD
Nursing Spectrum
CONTACT: Cynthia Vlasich, RN, Senior VP, Professional Services ofNursing Spectrum, cvlasich@nursingspectrum.com , +1-847-490-6678
