Shands receives nursing clinical excellence award

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (May 3, 2011) – The Florida Nurses Association (FNA) has awarded Shands at the University of Florida with the 2011 Frances Smith Clinical Excellence Award. The award recognizes organizations that promote clinical excellence in nursing through conference participation, on- and off-site education programs and recognition events.

Shands at UF nursing staff will accept the award at the 25th Annual Clinical Excellence Conference on May 6 in Orlando. National Nurses Week is May 6 through 12.

“It is an honor to receive this award, and I cannot say enough about our nurses and nurse leaders who develop programs and teach in many of the conferences and educational programs,” said Irene Alexaitis, M.S.N., R.N., N.E.A.-B.C., Shands at UF chief nursing officer and vice president. “Their dedication to professional development and education is one of the driving forces that helps us achieve the Magnet Vision and our Shands HealthCare Nursing mission: To provide “Experienced Care, Expert Caring” to our patients, families, and communities.”

Shands earned the award by providing programs such as continuing education opportunities, a nursing administrative practicum and a staff nurse leadership development fellowship.

Also at the conference, four Shands nurses will be recognized for making a difference in their clinical practice: Deborah Boada, Laura Davis, Cynthia Harris and Tina Rogers. More than 200 nurses were nominated for this professional recognition.

For more information about the conference or the award, visit http://www.floridanurse.org/

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The American Nurses Credentialing Center has awarded “Magnet” designation for several Shands HealthCare hospitals and programs: Shands at UF, Shands HomeCare, Shands Florida Surgical Center, Shands Vista, Shands Rehab Hospital and Shands at UF Dialysis Center. The nursing profession’s most prestigious honor, Magnet status is achieved by less than 1 percent of the nation’s acute-care hospitals.