Nurses Week is held May 6 through 12 every year during Florence Nightingale’s birthday, known as the founder in modern nursing. Nurses are the backbone of patient care in the hospital. They are often a the primary point of contact for patients during their stay, and they leave a lasting impression.
During Nurses Week, McLaren Greater Lansing holds man activities to show their appreciation to nurses, including an award ceremony that recognizes the various nurses who help make an impact every day in the lives of their patients and their peers. This includes giving out the Margaret McLaren Nursing Excellence Award, named after Margaret McLaren, a pioneer in the field of nursing and the first nurse to have a hospital named after them.
This year’s award was presented to Judy McCoy, a registered nurse, who works on the eighth floor in the cardiac unit.
In Judy’s nomination, a fellow colleague wrote: “Judy has always stepped up to orient new hires and nursing students. She was a great influence to and reference for me and many other nurses throughout the years. There are so many nurses she has impacted over the years. She is always patient and understanding when someone is learning, but also firm enough to step in to guide someone when needed.”
The nomination went on to state that Judy is a great advocate for her patients that she supports her fellow nurses with kindness and compassion.
Judy, who has been a nurse at McLaren for over 40 years, received the award in the presence of her family, colleagues, and McLaren leaders.
“I feel so very honored,” said Judy. “I love being a nurse, and I love my team. It’s a team effort, we work well together, and we have a lot of challenges — but it feels so good to make a difference and I feel grateful that I get to care for my patients.”
During the ceremony, McLaren also presented its first-ever Margaret McLaren Nursing Leadership Award to Rebecca Perkins, RN, a patient care manager who oversees the nurses who work on the eighth floor of the hospital.
Rebecca started her nursing career at McLaren in 2001, working at patients’ bedsides for many years while teaching new nurses and nursing students. She later moved into clinical education in 2018 before being promoted to patient care manager in 2021 and joining the McLaren nursing leadership team. In recognition of her many contributions, her nomination noted that “Rebecca continues to mentor new leaders, goes above and beyond, and volunteers in the community. She leads with kindness, is thoughtful, and is always looking out for the staff and her peers.”
In accepting her award, Rebecca stated that she felt humbled to be given this recognition and that going into the nursing profession has been one of the most rewarding things she’s ever done.
“Going into a leadership role wasn’t necessarily something that I aspired to do at first, but while I was working in the education department, I really missed patient interaction,” said Rebecca. “My nursing leadership role allows me to have the best of both worlds; I get to work with our amazing group of nurses, and I get to meet with patients and build connections, as I really love to do.”
McLaren is proud to have a group of nurses who are committed to providing expert compassionate care to every patient. If you had a wonderful nurse at McLaren Greater Lansing, please share your experience here.
As a participant in the DAISY Award program, McLaren gives the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, which recognizes the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. To nominate your favorite nurse for the DAISY Award, click here.
To read more articles from McLaren Greater Lansing on health and wellness topics, click here.