Multidimensional Greatness: Thank You To Our Nursing Team

Basia Adams, DNP, APRN?presented?From Nothing to Something: Anchoring an Advanced Practice Infrastructure?at the 2022 American Organization of Nurse Leaders conference April 11-14 in San Antonio, TX. Her presentation was selected from a very competitive pool of over 500 abstracts!

Heather Buck,?BSN, RN,?Assistant Nurse Manager of our PICU, is a former UCONN Women’s basketball player and was named to the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

First-time nurse authors,?Melissa Dibble, MSN, RN, NPD-BC; Taryn Hamre, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC; & Kim Mancinelli Hough, MSN, RN, CPN?published manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals this year.

Comalita Elliot,?BSN, RN, CDE?of Endocrinology frequently goes on mission trips to Haiti to provide Diabetes education for families in severe poverty situations and works diligently to compile supplies in between each trip and brings them with her.

Whitney Fairchild, MSN, APRN & Felicia Tam, RN?of Cardiology (also former Nursing Research and EBP Fellows) presented their research study,?Self-Management in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease?at the 2022 American College of Cardiology Conference, ACC 71st?Scientific Session in Washington, DC.

Alex Ford,?BSN, RN,?pediatric oncology nurse, was named one of USA Today’s Women of the Year, which honors women across the country who have made a significant impact. Learn more about how she got into medicine, her path to Connecticut Children’s and what has inspired her along the way by reading?this interview?featured in The Bulletin.

Ongoing work of?Milena Frazer, BS-RNC, and Amy Ciarlo, BS-RNC,?of the NICU (past graduates of the Nursing Research and EBP Fellowship Program) resulted in a decrease of infants that presented with hypothermia on admission to the NICU from 31% in 2014 to 1.4% in 2021.

Audrey Heermance, MSN, RN, CNL, of MS 7, graduated from Sacred Heart University’s Clinical Nurse Leader program and received the Outstanding Field Placement Award.

Kim Mancinelli Hough,?MSN, RN, CPN,?of Perioperative Services wrote a manuscript focused on suicide screening, “Don’t Ask, Won’t Tell: Suicide Screening in the Pediatric Perioperative Setting” that was accepted for publication in the Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing Journal!

Jennifer Querim, BSN, RN, CCRP?of clinical trials was promoted to Senior Clinical Nurse Research Coordinator Position.

Kimberley Roche, MSN, PPCNP-BC, APRN?led an interprofessional team that conducted a randomized study,?Coping During COVID-19: A Pilot Study on the Impact of Gratitude Journaling or Cognitive Strategies on Healthcare Work.

Shanice Sterling, RN?of the Emergency Department (ED) is working on an evidence-based practice project to improve medication barcode scanning in the ED. She is using evidence and nurse feedback to help improve medication administration processes.

Dorothy Vittner,?PhD, RN, FAAN,?of our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is one of 2,900 nurses across the country to be inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, which is dedicated to serving the public and the nursing profession. Admission to the Academy requires evidence that the individuals have made outstanding contributions to nursing and/or healthcare.

Beth Wentland, MBA, BSN, RN, NPD-BC?of the Institute for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Excellence received EBP Certification from The Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare. This certification recognizes demonstrated expertise in EBP and denotes advanced intensive continuing education or graduate study in EBP.

Tara Wesoloskie,?BSN, RN, CPN?of the Post Anesthesia Care Unit is also the coordinator of PJ Day for the Kids, a state-wide fundraiser for Connecticut Children’s that encourages children and adults alike to wear their pajamas in support of children battling cancer. You can learn more about PJ Day for the Kids and why it means so much to Tara?here.

Critical Care Transport Nurse?Wendy Wheeler, MA, BSN, RN, EMT, CEN, CPEN, NHDP-BC?is a Nurse Specialist for the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) and is on the Emergency Management and Preparedness Committee of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and serves on the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Disaster Competencies Group.

The Ambulatory Community workforce group, chaired by nurses?Sam Witham, BSN, RN, CPN (Neurology), Sarah McKean, BSN, RN, CPN (Neurology), Barbara Mulholland, BSN, RN, CPN (Aerodigestive clinic) and Ann Mendicino- Wrinn, BSN, RN, CPN (Rheumatology)?spearheads many community support events for greater Hartford area alongside their team members. Such events include delivering meals on holidays, hosting education tables in the community, gardening and growing food for senior citizens and more.

Former nurse residents presented at the Connecticut Nursing Research Alliance 25th?Annual Nursing Research and EBP Conference: NICU West Nurses?Tess Conner, BSN, RN; Abigail Davis, BSN, RN; & Erinne Neff, BSN, RN?conducted a virtual oral presentation titled?Nursing Comfort in Allowing Parents to Hold Infants while Receiving Therapeutic Hypothermia?and?Ashley Barber, BSN, RN (MS 7); Hannah Megan BSN, RN (PICU); and Bobbi-Anna Skinner, ADN, RN (ED)?presented a virtual poster of their nurse residency project,?Implementation of Self Care Practices for Nurse Residents and its Effect on Nurse Burnout and Stress.