Nominations Open for Award Honoring Outstanding Nurses

The University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Nursing is currently accepting nominations for its 14th annual Florence Nightingale Awards, named for the founder of modern nursing, which honor registered nurses for their commitment to excellent patient care.

“Anyone can nominate a nurse they feel provides outstanding patient care,” says Andrea Lindell, DNSc, dean of the College of Nursing. “There’s a shortage of nurses across the country, and it’s a very demanding but rewarding career. These awards are one way to recognize nurses for their dedication.”

Patients, family, friends of patients, colleagues, physicians and other health-care workers are encouraged to nominate a nurse who meets the criteria of demonstrating excellence in direct patient care, lives and is employed in the Greater Cincinnati area (Ohio, Kentucky and southern Indiana) and is a licensed registered nurse.

All nominations will be reviewed and recipients selected by members of the College of Nursing Board of Advisors. Six nurses will receive the awards, to be presented April 26, 2006, at the downtown Cincinnati Hyatt Regency.

Nominations must be received by March 6. The forms are available online at

http://con.uc.edu/nightingale/nightingalehome.htm

. Information is also available on the Florence Nightingale Awards hot line at (513) 558-5311.

The six award recipients will receive $1,000 each. Ten additional nurses will receive the Dean’s Award and $400 each. Money for the awards is provided through sponsorships. For more information on sponsoring the event, which had more than 900 attendees last year, contact Kathy Keyes at (513) 556-4251 or

kathryn.keyes@uc.edu

. Sponsorship money exceeding the cost of the event is given to the student scholarship fund at the College of Nursing.