Kim McAlonan, RN, Named Nurse of the Year for 2011
North Fulton Hospital held it’s annual nursing excellence ceremony last week where Surgical Unit Nurse Kim McAlonan was named the 2011 Nurse of the Year.
Stuart Downs, NFH Chief Nursing Officer, explains the tremendous impact Kim has made on not only her unit but on the hospital as a whole: “North Fulton proudly boasts a nursing environment that allows nurses to practice autonomously and collaboratively in partnership with all members of the healthcare team. Our nurses are free to own the practice of nursing and generate innovative ideas that drive nursing excellence and satisfaction. Kim is certainly one of the many nurses on staff who delivers the height of nursing practice, and she has been a driving force in our culture transformation by her commitment to the profession.”
Kim accepted her award during the heartfelt ceremony lead by Stuart Downs. Nominees for the Nurse of the Year included the six previous DAISY Award winning nurses: Bob Hutcheson (October winner); Linda Spruill (November winner); Ebere Epeagba (December winner); Wilma Woodall (January winner); Tara Orlando (February winner); and Kim (most recent, March winner). All six nominees are among the top performing nurses in the hospital and have demonstrated such a high level of commitment to patient care to have warranted being named a DAISY Award winning nurse.
A nurse with 31 years of experience, Kim McAlonan is originally from New Jersey. She has worked for 24 years on the Surgical Unit at North Fulton and has spent the most recent five years of her tenure as a charge nurse. Her supervisors and peers know her well as a nurse dedicated to helping families feel comfortable, carefully explaining to them the diagnosis and treatment plans for their loved ones.
“Regardless of how busy Kim gets, she is able to make the patient and their loved ones feel special – like family,” said Cindy Bhatia, Director of Surgical Nursing at North Fulton Hospital. “She shows compassion, which is the art of nursing.”
One patient wrote:
Kim was there for us every step of the way; very sweet and very helpful! She was very welcoming when Tim came up from surgery. She was extremely pleasant, always happy, always had a smile on her face, and her personality definitely transferred to Tim. They say “Laughter is the best medicine,” and Kim and Tim shared jokes and stories as she took care of his needs. She was incredible with him. Kim was very confident in nursing abilities and efficient in all the tasks she did for us. She made sure we knew how to contact her, and when we did, Kim made us feel like we were her only patient. When we used the phone to call (love this feature), Kim always picked up and never made us feel like we were rushed or imposing! Kim always asked what she could do additionally before she left the room every time, and you have no idea how that made us feel! She is definitely a DAISY nurse!
“The DAISY program is just one way that we choose to recognize nurses for the super-human efforts they perform every day at this hospital. It is no wonder that Kim was among the ranks of the extraordinary within the first six months of the program’s existence,” said CNO Downs. “Her heroic efforts are indicative of her skill and expertise, but overshadowed by her skill is a deep compassion and love for people. I am so proud to have Kim McAlonan reign for the next twelve months as Nurse of the Year and represent North Fulton Hospital with this highest nursing honor.”
About the DAISY Award
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.
Each month, a nurse will be selected to receive The DAISY Award from nominations received from patients, their families, physicians, and colleagues. The honoree will receive a certificate commending her or him for being an "Extraordinary Nurse." The certificate reads: "In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people." The honoree will also be given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
The DAISY Award winning nurses will also enjoy tasty Cinnabon treats. One day while Patrick was in the hospital, he asked his family to bring him a Cinnabon cinnamon roll plus enough for all the nurses in his unit. With the help of Cinnabon’s parent company, FOCUS Brands, The DAISY Foundation carries on this tradition by serving Cinnabons to all the nurses in the Award recipient’s unit in thanks for everything they do for their patients and families.
Also helping to further the mission of the DAISY Foundation is Kimberly Clarke, national provider of both medical and personal care products. With Kimberly Clarke’s sponsorship of the program, the DAISY Foundation is able to continue along its path, providing not only funds but tissues to every DAISY winner (as tears often accompany the ceremonies.
If you would like to nominate a special nurse, please go to the North Fulton Hospital website at www.nfultonhospital.com and click on “Nursing at NFH” to download a nomination form. You may also contact the hospital at 770-751-2671.
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North Fulton Hospital (NFH), part of Tenet Georgia, is a 202-bed, acute-care hospital located on Highway 9, Alpharetta Highway, in Roswell. Opened in 1983, NFH serves North Fulton and surrounding counties through its team of over 1000 employees, 400 staff physicians and 200 volunteers. NFH is a state-designated Level II trauma center and provides a continuum of services through its centers and programs, including neurosciences, women’s health services, orthopedics, rehabilitation, surgical services, gastroenterology and oncology. The hospital is fully accredited and also is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.