2013 Nurse of the Year
Sharon Brady, BSN, RN, CWOCN
Nomination information:
This writer first met the nominee for Outstanding WOC Nurse Award as a WOCN student when precepting at Hopkins Bayview Wound Care Center. She explained treatments and rationale clearly, concisely and kindly. She was very helpful and I am sure I was one of many WOC precepting students who appreciated her guidance.
This nurse worked at Bayview in both the wound care center and acute care for ten years from 1997 to 2007 and is well respected by her colleagues. At Bayview she was involved in many wound and ostomy related projects. In 2007 she became the Director of Wound Care Services at Hanover Hospital, a nonprofit acute care hospital consisting of 100 beds, and an acute care rehab unit with 10 beds.
As the Director of Wound Care Services, this nurse has developed many programs and protocols to benefit patients and staff. Some highlights follow:
- Skin and Wound Care program
- Skin and Wound Care protocols
- A symposium for the past five years for areas nursing homes, home care, educators, and hospital nurses to encourage networking and a continuum of care between facilities
- A free community benefit program for ostomates in the community who are having ostomy management problems. Patients are seen in the local emergency room for care.
- Current chairman of an interprofessional group, to develop a safe patient handling and mobility program for all staff who handle patients
- As chairman of the wound committee, she facilitated yearly grand rounds for wound care.
- Advisor for the PA HEN (Hospital Engagement Network) Pressure Ulcer Prevention Project
- Skin care safety advisor for two Blue Mountain Health System hospitals, Gnaden Huetten Hospital in Lehighton, PA, and Palmerton Hospital in Palmerton. Developed action plans accordingly.
This nominee has developed numerous posters for local, regional and national display including but not limited to:
- 2007: “Developing a Skin Risk Card” for National WOCN conference
- 2008: “Tape Blister Investigation” for MAR conference
- 2010: “Balancing Act-Infection vs. Skin Breakdown” for York Hospital’s Evidence Based Practice Symposium
- 2011: “Bariatrics – How do we manage safe patient handing and transfers?” for York Hospital’s Evidence Based Practice Symposium
- 2012: “Can a safe patient handling and mobility program reduce staff injury and save money in staff injuries?” for York Hospital’s Evidence Based Practice Symposium
As a long time member of the Baltimore WOCN Affiliate, this member was vice president of the group in 2005 and president in 2006 and was effective in her leadership. She organized the meeting programs and kept meetings running smoothly. She was attentive to the responsibilities of being president and made sure all duties were completed. She assists the Baltimore affiliate with the annual Ostomy Workshop held each fall to instruct area nurses in ostomy care, and has brought members from her ostomy support group to the workshop. She has also presented case studies at the local meetings and been on several committess. She appreciates the knowledgeable and caring individuals of the Baltimore affiliate who share their experiences so that all may benefit.
Beyond the local affiliate activity, this nurse regularly attends both regional and national WOCN conferences and keeps up to date on WOC issues and best practices. She genuinely cares about both her patients and colleagues and often works well beyond her scheduled quitting time to make sure her patients have the appropriate care. She seeks out answers to complicated cases from her colleagues.
Some nurses don’t practice what they preach, but this nurse knows how to live healthy. With such a busy schedule, she somehow finds time to ride her horses and go camping with her family. Each summer she and her husband grow a large garden and enjoy their delicious vegetables throughout the winter. In spite of all of her accomplishments as a WOCN, this nurse rightfully considers raising her family as her greatest accomplishment and appreciates living in a free country where we can worship, work, and play as we choose.
Considering this nurse’s many contributions to wound, ostomy and continence care and her support of WOCN’s and WOC activity, she is a worthy candidate for the WOC Nurse of the Year Award.