1. Describe How Your Nominee Has Shown Concern for Humanity s1

Jill Morgan Nominated by: Peg Bradke

1. Describe how your nominee has shown concern for humanity.

Jill has worked at St. Luke's for over 30 years. She has held many positions. She currently serves as the Nurse Manager for the Adult Intensive Care Unit. Prior to that she was our off shift supervisor for the entire hospital. This provided a depth of experiences for Jill which she uses daily. She is well respected in the organization for her critical problem solving and passion for excellence. Jill has a wonderful way of dealing with patient's and particularly families. She goes out of her way to attend to the families of our critical care patients. She is there to talk to them daily and is there for them in critical time. In addition she goes out of her way to attend funeral services and follow up on these families long after the stay in ICU. Jill is an active member of our ethic committee and has been a strong advocate for our implementation of palliative care. She works very well with that team and is constantly praised by them.

2. What do you consider your nominee’s most significant contribution to the nursing profession:

Jill passion for excellence has helped move our ICU to new levels. Our ICU was the first unit in the state to receive the prestigios Beacon Award from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. This was remarkable achievement. Jill is the driver for quality in her unit. She champions many of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement initiatives. She implemented Multidisciplinary rounds in April of 2004. We have had many visitors to observe our rounds because of the success we have had. From the very start Jill was an advocate for including families in these rounds. Rounds are held in the patient room with patient and family participation. Since 2004 we do include the families, and often at 0830 you will find families waiting in their loved ones room for the multidisciplinary team to come to the room for rounds. The information and outcomes achieved is remarkable. Currently Jill is championing the Surviving Sepsis program for our hospital with the Society of Critical Care Medicine. We have been noted as a mentor hospital in this initiative.

3. Give an example of how your nominee has shown leadership through mentoring, or served as a role model for others.

Jill has been a coach and mentor throughout her career here. She has a practical approach to problem solving and one that places no blame but only emphasizes how we could improve the process. She is looked to lead or participate in many activities at this hospital due to her outlook and perspective. As mentioned she has also been recognized for her mentor in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement work, as well as with the Society of Critical Care Medicine Sepsis work. Jill is a continual learner, she is known for searching the literature and assuring we are practicing evidenced based care. She is looked to for that and we all benefit from her intense need to know the evidence.

4. Was there a specific event that prompted you to nominate this outstanding nurse? If so, please tell your story.

As the Director of Heart Care at St. Luke's I worked for many years with Jill when she was the off shift House Supervisor. I knew we were in good hands when she was on duty. She provided excellence leadership and I was impressed how she handled our staff in some difficult times. Her debriefing and general concern for them was evident. She help them see the situation in different perspective which was important. When she decided to take a management position I was thrilled to have her interest in ICU. She has exceeded my expectations and provided sound leadership as well as a tremendous change agent to make the unit what it is today. A proud Beacon Award Unit from American Association of Critical Care Nurses.