The event began simply enough in Dallas/Fort Worth. Beth Mancini, PhD, RN, CNA, FAAN, was senior vice president at Parkland Health and Hospital System when she attended a Great 100 Nurses event in New Orleans. She saw nurses coming together to recognize one another for their everyday heroism and excellence in care. She saw an annual opportunity for institutions to honor and give thanks to their nursing staff. She saw an event that had the potential to bring a community together, one that she wanted to bring to her city.
Since that beginning nearly 20 years ago, the Great 100 Nurses event in Dallas/Fort Worth has debuted, expanded and become an instrumental part of the nursing community. Mancini and a committee of dedicated nurses, administrators and staff have prepped and planned the celebration each year. They depend on the greater DFW business and not-for-profit community for donations to keep the event running each year and to provide scholarship funds for nursing students to complete their education.
All the hard work has paid off. Today, the Great 100 Nurses event is a must-attend event, a chance for nurses to pay tribute and let loose.
"The Great 100 Nurses event is an amazing way to bring nurses together for a night to honor the contribution they make to patient care," said C.M. (Sam) Ruffing, MS, RN, member of the core planning team for the event. "It's a refreshing and renewing event each year, something nurses love attending. Nurses know how to celebrate and how to honor their peers, and this is the night to do it."
The event has become an integral part of nursing culture in the area. For nurses at all stages in their career, a Great 100 Nurse award is something to aspire to.
"I've been in nursing for 9 years," said Sandi McDermott, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, and president of The Great 100 Nurses inc. "I knew that when I became a nurse I wanted to accomplish a 'bucket list' of goals. A Great 100 Nurse award was something I wanted to accomplish, for my career and for myself. It gives me the utmost pride to earn the award and to be on the committee for the event."
The recognition given from a Great 100 Nurses award is powerful because of its scope. Last year, the planning committee received more than 800 nominations, demonstrating the Dallas/Fort Worth community has embraced the awards as the most comprehensive recognition of nurses around.
From an organizational standpoint, the awards are a stellar way to provide the recognition that boosts nursing satisfaction and engagement. It's also a process that can bring an institution together, with nominations welcome from physicians, patients, nurses, administrators and staff.
"As CNOs, we want nurses at our organization to get recognized for their dedication and hard work," said Cole Edmonson, DNP, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, vice president of the Great 100 Nurses inc. "To receive the award is really a hallmark and high point of a nurse's career. For many nurse leaders like myself, it has become part of our goals and strategic plan for the organization."
Source: Advance Nursing Magazine: A. Lillard