Liz Healy, Author at The Riverside Connection

Celebrating Certified Nurses Day

March 14th, 2021

Nursing

Riverside Healthcare is celebrating Certified Nurses Day on March 19 by honoring its board-certified nurses.

Board certification of nurses plays an increasingly important role in the assurance of high standards of care for patients and their loved ones. Nursing, like health care in general, has become increasingly complex. While a registered nurse (RN) license provides entry to general nursing practice, the knowledge-intensive requirements of modern nursing require extensive education, as well as a strong personal commitment to excellence by the nurse.

Riverside Healthcare encourages national board certification for all its nurses. There are many nursing certification specialties, such as medical-surgical, pediatric, pain management, cardiovascular, oncology, hospice, case management, emergency nursing, critical care, and many others. Many nursing certification bodies exist to serve the full range of specialized nursing care offered in the contemporary health care system; national nurse-certifying bodies should be accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) or the National Organization for Competence Assurance (NOCA).

Please join Riverside Healthcare and the nation’s national nursing certification organizations in honoring those hardworking, dedicated nurses for their professionalism, commitment, and a job well done!

The following is a list of certified nurses that are being recognized for their professionalism, leadership, and commitment to excellence in patient care:

Sarah Allen
Heather Davis
Tammie Henderson
Christina Mitsdarffer
Allison Savini
Dana Arseneau
Krista Davis
Renee Hess
Karen Moore
Mary Schore
Sara Baer-Leveque
Erin Dean
Sarah Himes
Victoria Morgan
Janella Schroeder
Abigail Banter
Afton Dearinger
Lindsay Hoekstra
Andrea Mouritzen
Deanna Schroeder
Krista Barton
Elizabeth Deck
Christin Hoffner
Laura Muehling
Marisa Schrum
Paula Blair
Lauren Decker
Amy Hornbuckle
Tammy Mylcraine
Barbara Schuch
Lisa Bodemer
Jessica DeGroot
Tenise Irvin
Wende Norris
Karla Schweigert
Deanna Booker
Rachel Denault
Keyoma Jamerson
Carrie O’Connor
Brittani Seagren
Bradley Boswell
Barbara DeYoung
Deborah Johnston
Lindsay O’Connor
Madhu Sharma
Kathryn Boudreau
Holly Dinello
Colleen Johnston
Erika Ohlendorf
Kimberly Shelanskey
Alyssa Brack
Victoria Dolan
Nicole Jones
Margaret Ondrey
Janice Sheridan
Mary Brandenburg
Jennifer Dole
Alexa Kieffer
Kaylene Opitz
Sharon Shoudis

Judi Brault
Olivia Dougherty
Sheila Kirchner
Natalie Palka
Jessica Simone
Timothy Brown
Jean Durell
Jill Kollmann
Neelie Panozzo
Jeanine Sims
Lori-Ann Bruer
Wendy Dyer
Carrie Kruse
Elaine Papineau
Michelle Smith
Jennifer Bruner
Rachel Edwards
Joanna Lambert
Maria Pappas
Nicole Smith
Keith Buza
Libertyana Erfe
Brenda Lamping
Tracey Peachey
Molly Smith
Amanda Cadle
Edwina Ferris
Christine Langellier
Nancy Peeler
Laura Snow
Tara Campo
Laura Fitzpatrick
Vanessa Latty
Sarah Penkas
Taylor St. Paul
Vanessa Capps
Carolina Ford
Rubi Lauvina
Ashley Perreault
Shana Teske
Rick Carlson
Paula Franklin
Deena Layton
Karlie Peters
Whitney Trevino
LaTivia Carr
Tiffany Furlan
Bethani Lewis
Heather Petkunas
Mandi Troli
Shambre Chambers
Kimberly Gaddis
Lynn Lochner
Jessica Pettigrew
Sarah Tudor
Ashley Chappell
Heather Gill
Kathryn Locke
Janet Phelan
Dione Valentino

Karen Cherry
Alejandra Gomez
Georgina Lopez
Barbara Pfingsten
Katherine Van Hoveln
Lynn Christian
Jacqueline Granger
Nicole Lopez
Billie Pollom
Laura Velasco
Andrea Cinnamon
Kaylee Gray
Kimberly Lyons
Julianne Post
Karen Verrill
Diane Clatterbuck
Carrie Greenley
Kris Madison
Julie Pranger
Daniel Wainwright
Becky Conroy
Shannon Greenquist
Jena Martis
Crystal Rath
Angel White
Dawn Corbin
Kathryn Hamblen
Tina Martis
Jessica Ray
Kelly White
Jeffrey Coto
Kendra Hansen
Caitlin McCarthy
Dena Reddick
Morgan Willbarger
Denys Crater
Angela Harre
Melissa McCue
Nicole Robinson
Elizabeth Wirth
Amy Creek
Barbara Hartman
Mellody McDonald
Cheryl Rogers
Maggie Worby
Cynthia Croyle
Tiffany Hartman
Teresa McKissack
Marissa Ruebhausen
Kristin Cyrier
Laura Healy
Brenda McLaren
Melissa Sanders
Chloe Dalton
Angela Heldt
Amy Memenga
Jenna Sarna

Note: We regret the omission of anyone who has a certification. This list is developed from staff turning in a copy of their credentials to the Organizational Development & Learning Department at Riverside. If we missed you this year, send a copy of your certification to OLIEEducation@rhc.net. THANK YOU for helping us keep our records up-to-date.

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Nominate a fellow nurse for a DAISY Award

March 12th, 2021

DAISY Award, Nursing

The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary compassionate and skillful care given by nurses every day.

Riverside Healthcare is proud to be DAISY Award Partner, recognizing one of our nurses with this special honor once a month.

About The DAISY Foundation

The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died of complications of the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) at the age of 33. (DAISY is an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system.) During Pat’s eight-week hospitalization, his family was awestruck by the care and compassion his nurses provided not only to Pat but to everyone in his family. So one of the goals they set in creating a Foundation in Pat’s memory was to recognize extraordinary nurses everywhere who make an enormous difference in the lives of so many people by the super-human work they do every day.

The DAISY Award

Each DAISY Award Honoree will be recognized at a ceremony in her/his unit and will receive a beautiful certificate, a DAISY Award pin, and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled A Healer’s Touch.

Nominate a Nurse Here

Referral Bonus for RNs, LPNs & CNAs

March 11th, 2021

Nursing, News & Media

Connect friends.
Earn rewards.

Program Guidelines:

Referrals must submit your name upon application and/or interview.
Referrals must meet all employment criteria for selection. (Final selection of candidates is based upon the decision of Human Resources and hiring department management.)
Candidates must be offered and accept minimum .75 FTE position.
RN referrals must have at least 1 year of experience as an RN.
Only one referral bonus per hired RN or CNA. (In the event the same person is referred by more than one Riverside employee, the award will be based on the date the referral is received in Human Resources via application, interview or this referral form.)
Program begins November 1, 2020. Referrals must begin employment on or before May 31, 2021.
The referral bonus will be paid in two separate payments: the first half after the referred candidate has been employed for three months and the second half after the referred candidate has been employed for one year. Both employees (referring employee and referred employee) must be employed at the time of each payout. (All state and federal tax withholdings apply to bonus payouts.)

Referral Submission Form

Well in Mind: Self-Harm Awareness Month

March 8th, 2021

Well In Mind

March is Self-Harm Awareness Month. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is intentionally inflicting harm to the body without intention of dying.

This is not a mental illness, it is a sign someone is going through serious psychological distress. Reasons for Self-Injury

To gain relief from tension.
To process negative feelings.
To distract from their negative feelings.
To feel something physical, particularly if feeling numb.
To develop a sense of control over their lives.
To seek help.
To punish for things done wrong.
To express emotions otherwise embarrassed to show.

Types of NSSI

Cutting
Scratching
Burning
Hitting or punching oneself (including banging one’s head).
Carving words/symbols into the skin.
Piercing the skin with sharp objects.
Pulling out hair.
Picking at existing wounds,

Symptoms of NSSIHere are some warning signs to keep top of mind:

Scars
Fresh cuts, burns, scratches, or bruises.
Having sharp objects on hand.
Wearing long sleeves or long pants, even in hot weather.
Difficulties with interpersonal relationships.
Persistent questions about personal identity.
Behavioral and emotional instability, impulsiveness, or unpredictability.

Well In Mind is here for you. Call 815-933-2240 to schedule an appointment or to ask about your EAP benefits.

Congrats to DAISY Award Winner Amy T.

March 5th, 2021

DAISY Award, Nursing

Congratulations to our first DAISY Award winner here at Riverside!

The first DAISY Award recipient at Riverside is Amy T. Amy is a nurse on 3 Cardiac Telemetry who was nominated by a patient’s family. The nationwide DAISY award program recognizes the exceptional clinical skills and compassion shown by nurses.

The nomination read, “Amy was my mother’s nurse during a stressful time in our life. My mother was going to have heart surgery and my siblings and I were all nervous, as well as my mother. My father passed away earlier this year during a heart surgery so we were all anxious and scared. Amy went out of her way to come talk to us multiple times the day before, held my mother’s hand, reassured her that the doctors were wonderful and would take amazing care of her.”

“The day of the procedure she was so calm and it eased my mother’s nerves as well as mine. She went through her preparation every step of the way and even came to her recovery room to see her after her shift. That to me is the definition of an amazing nurse, an angel. She truly made my mother’s experience wonderful. Riverside will always have our hearts. Thank you Amy!”