Recognition Opportunities
Recognition strengthens nurse retention, and recognition of nurses is a key component of the culture of excellence at UVAHS. Direct care nurses find many ways to celebrate and honor their colleagues, their achievements and their specialty practices and to acknowledge the contributions that nurses make every day to patient and health care to the community.
Annual Nursing Excellence Awards
The PNSO presents 7 awards throughout the year honoring different aspects of excellence in the nursing role. The awards are: Excellence in Caring; Beginning Practitioner of the Year; Excellence in Nursing Research; Preceptor of the Year; Nurse of Distinction; Excellence in Clinical Practice; and Distinguished Nurse Manager. The process is based on peer nominations and supportive evidence provided; recipients receive a personal commemorative award, a framed certificate of achievement, and a letter of appreciation and (for the staff awards) $500 educational support from the Chief Nursing Officer.
Click for information about the nomination process, and past recipients.
The PNSO Awards Committee, comprised of direct care nurses and nurse leaders, plans and coordinates PNSO recognition activities. Awards Committee goals include:
- Increase positive perception of public recognition and acknowledgement of nursing.
- Planning and facilitating the major recurring recognition activities of the PNSO, including the selection process for the annual Nursing Excellence Awards.
- Build upon current recognition programs and seek appropriate resources to support and grow future PNSO recognition events.
Encouraging Quality Outcomes
In 2011, new opportunities were developed for quarterly, monthly, and in-the-moment recognition. These include personal recognition by the Chief Nursing Officer for leaders ("Leader in Action" award) and bedside caregivers ("I Put My Patient First" award) for the myriad ways that nurses go above and beyond daily expectations. Practice areas and nursing teams who sustain quarterly excellence in one or more Nursing-Sensitive Quality Indicator also receive CNO recognition and treats with the team-oriented "Pride in Practice" award; a similar peer-to-peer recognition can also take place in the moment with a "Magnet Salute" catching a colleague doing something extraordinary to promote quality care in everyday work.
Week of the Nurse Celebrations
The PNSO's Week of the Nurse Planning Committee arranges a broad spectrum of events to celebrate all that UVA nurses mean to each other, to our Health System's mission, and to our community. In addition to the centralized events sponsored by the PNSO, many local practice areas also take pride in sponsoring their own celebrations to honor nursing contributions.
Recognizing our Interdisciplinary Partners
National Observances: The PNSO shares special recognition in our Lobby display cases for our interdisciplinary colleagues during their day/week of national observance. Large-scale events in June and August are also held in honor of the special partnerships RNs hold with Certified Nursing Assistants and Health Unit Coordinators.
Annual "Day of Gratitude": Each year at UVA, we launch the Week of the Nurse by recognizing - not nurses - but our essential supportive partnership with our interdisciplinary colleagues; we achieve patient care excellence through the quality of our teamwork. In past years, the Nursing Cabinet would select a department or discipline that had been a special partner in patient care during the past year, as the "It Takes A Team" award recipient. In 2009, we expanded this to a new tradition, "A Day of Gratitude," in which compliments collected from nurses are shared with the entire spectrum of interdisciplinary colleagues across UVAHS. Teams of nurses delivered personalized scrapbooks of compliments, along with balloons and treats, expressing their appreciation for these vital interrelated partners in caregiving. While this tradition continues to evolve, we always highlight our interprofessional relationships as we start the Week of the Nurse.
Recognition Anytime
Orange RN Identification Tags: All RN staff wear with their nametag a bright-colored hang tag bearing the symbol ‘RN' visible below the main identification badge. Supported by Nursing Cabinet and UVAHS Administration, this initiative both promotes patient safety and satisfaction, and provides visible recognition for each UVA RN's important role as caregivers. Click here for more information.
Commend a Colleague: Health System staff are encouraged to recognize each other's contributions anytime, and to assist patients & families who wish to commend a special caregiver. Leaders can also present "Bravo!" cards, which provide personalized, public recognition on the UVAHS intranet detailing the core organizational value (Respect, Integrity, Stewardship, Excellence) exemplified by the individual's actions, and which include tangible incentives, such as treats at the cafe.
