CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Nurses from all departments at CAMC being recognized and honored at a luncheon Wednesday afternoon.
The luncheon, which was held at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, is a part of National Nurses Week, which is celebrated May 6 through the 12 every year to recognize the contributions nurses make in their communities.
The theme for this year was “The Power of Nurses”, because of the difference nurses make as trusted advocates who ensure that individuals, families and communities are receiving the patient care and services they deserve.
More than 80 nurses were recognized and given the Award of Excellence in Professional Nursing.
These nurses were nominated by their coworkers and chosen by a committee.
Heidi Edwards, Chief Nursing Officer for CAMC and Chief Administrative Officer for General Hospital says that the award shows that these recipients are at the top in their profession.
“Which really is saying that you are above all, somebody who represents the profession, you are at the pinnacle of the profession and that we appreciate you and cherish you for the work that you do,” Edwards said.
Jade Tucker, who is a registered nurse in the Gynecology/Oncology unit at Women’s and Children’s Hospital, says that it was an honor to have been nominated by her peers for the award but it’s also great to see CAMC take time to show they appreciate all of the nurses and what they do.
“It’s very rewarding, it’s an honor to get picked by your coworkers and your nursing staff, and I think it’s a great thing that the hospital takes time out of the day to celebrate nurses, especially during Nurses Week,” she said.
Another nurse, Amelia Estep, who has worked at CAMC for eleven years, six of those years being a nurse says that it’s important to be able to celebrate the nurses and all of their hard work.
“They have such a big job and do so many roles and so it feels great to be able to appreciate them and show them that we care,” she said.
Tucker, who has been a nurse for six years, spent worked at different places. She said she has worked at Women and Children’s for one year and that the work she does has truly been rewarding for her.
“I truly love Women’s and Children’s Hospital, it’s great to be at a smaller hospital and the patient population that we take care of is really rewarding,” Tucker said. “We have a lot of oncology patients and to just be able to take care of patients in such a difficult time, it’s been the most rewarding job I’ve had.”
Estep shared those sentiments, saying she is proud to work for CAMC because of the environment.
“It makes you feel really proud to be at a place that has this many caring people who provide great care for their patients,” she said.