Rome Memorial Hospital honored its Nurses of the Year at an awards ceremony May 10^th at Dibble’s Inn.

As part of National Nurse’s Week, nurses honor their peers by selecting a "Nurse of the Year" for each clinical area. From among this group, a "Nurse of Excellence" is named. These dedicated professionals are honored for their caring attitude toward patients, superior clinical skills, and critical thinking ability.

"Winning is a great honor because you are chosen by your peers," said Rick Simpson, RN, coordinator of the selection program and the hospital’s Critical Care Coordinator. "Choosing the nurse of excellence is difficult because each nurse is a winner," he added.

The nursing award winners are:

• Karen Liebi, RN, Nurse of Excellence and Surgical Services Nurse of the Year;

• Dawn Bereza, RN, Medical/Surgical Nurse of the Year;

• Lauren Owens, RN, Maternal/Child Services Nurse of the Year;

• Mary Lou Wilson, LPN, Emergency Services Nurse of the Year;

• Celeste Campbell, RN, Critical Care Nurse of the Year;

• Sue Smith, RN, Long-Term Care Nurse of the Year;

• Laura Bambury, LPN, LPN of the Year.

"Karen has always been a very strong patient advocate. Her patients rights are above all else," said Shirley Cummings, RN, Director of Perioperative Services. "She has a keen perception of patient needs and consistently steps forward to address their needs."

"Karen is very dedicated to her work in the Endoscopy Department," Cummings added. "She manages the department with 100 percent accuracy and has a good working relationship with her peers and the physicians in the department."

"Dawn is kind, compassionate and caring," said Teresa Bell, director of Medical/Surgical, Pediatrics & Child/Maternal Services. "She works well with her co-workers and is well-respected by them. She exemplifies the definition of team spirit."

According to Cathy Destito, RN, Nurse Manager, Lauren is dependable, professional, a patient advocate, and very loyal to the hospital. "She has a very soft, caring manner about her that makes her easy to work with," she said.

"Mary Lou is very dedicated to the Emergency Department," said Kathy O’Rourke, Director of the Emergency Department. "She is involved in committees to improve the quality of the department and she’s always a source of information for all of us because of her years of experience."

"Celeste is a very kind, compassionate, and patient nurse," said Sandy Richardson, RN, Director of ICU/2 North. "Her excellent clinical skills are paired with a caring, pleasant personality that makes people feel at ease. She has a way of calming even the most stressful of situations. Because of her soothing demeanor, she is well-liked by her peers and her patients."

"Sue is incredible," said Debra Wurz, administrator of the Residential Health Care Facility.

 "She is very dedicated and conscientious. She does what it takes to ensure that her residents are taken care of. She cares about residents and staff and the staff really respect her."