Celebrating our nurses

In 2021, Teresa Carrillo was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. A wife and mother of two, Teresa was devastated.?

Then she met oncology nurse and patient education coordinator Carrie Williams, MSN/Ed, RN, who works in our Newport Beach oncology clinic. As Williams compassionately detailed Teresa’s condition and the proposed treatment plan, Teresa’s anxiety levels lessened. “I knew immediately that I was in good hands,” she remembers.

Teresa underwent 14 months of chemotherapy, a mastectomy of her right breast and six weeks of radiation. Throughout her course of treatment, “Carrie went above and beyond in every way; she was my beacon of light in the middle of a storm,” says Teresa.

Williams is just one of many committed nurses making a difference in the lives of our patients. Nurses are the backbone of Keck Medicine of USC as they tirelessly offer skilled and compassionate care.

It is not surprising that 10 of our nurses were recently recognized by the Simms/Mann Family Foundation, an organization dedicated to funding programs that promote well-being, as part of their “Off the Chart: Rewarding Nursing Greatness" campaign. The foundation recognized each of our 10 nurses with a financial gift of $10,000 for their nursing excellence.

In another honor for our nurses, Keck Hospital of USC successfully passed the first phase of redesignation of Magnet status with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Magnet designation is given every four years to health care organizations demonstrating nursing excellence, and Keck Hospital was one of only 500 hospitals nationwide to achieve this honor during the previous Magnet designation period.

Additionally, the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH) emergency department received the prestigious Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association for the second consecutive time. This award recognizes those who “demonstrate exceptional and innovative performance in leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research” — what a well-deserved complement to our emergency nurses.

Yet another indication of our nurses’ dedication to their field: I am excited to announce the recent creation of the Keck Medicine Nursing Institute, whose mission is to promote and empower excellence, advance the science and art of nursing, accelerate research and innovation in practice and prepare nurses for leadership across Keck Medicine.

The Nursing Institute, a collaboration between Keck Medical Center of USC, USC-VHH and USC Arcadia Hospital will be open to all nurses across the health system and will promote diversity, equity and inclusion, and partner with nursing schools and the community to nurture public engagement and best workforce practices.

This week, May 6 – 12, is National Nurses Month. This is the perfect time for me to thank our incredible nurses for all they do for our patients and the health system.

Meanwhile, Teresa, currently cancer-free and on the mend, provided Williams with perhaps the ultimate compliment:?She nominated her for a 2023 Extraordinary Healer? Award for Oncology Nursing, sponsored by CURE, a magazine and online resources for patients with cancer, survivors and their caregivers. Williams was recently recognized at a national event.

Teresa stresses how blessed she was to have Williams by her side. But Williams insists she is the fortunate one.

“I am so lucky to be a nurse and have people like Teresa invite me into their lives at a very difficult time,” she says. “My job is a privilege and an honor, and I love it.”

It’s this kind of attitude and devotion that defines our nurses. At Keck Medicine, we are all lucky to have them by our sides.