NEW YORK NURSE: September 2007
An article by Bridget Maybury, performance improvement coordinator at James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, was published in the July 23 issue of Advance for Nurses magazine. It described how a show-and-tell experience at her niece’s school allowed her to plant the seeds of a nursing career among young children. Named ‘Community Hero for the Day’ by St. Gabriel’s Pre-K class and clad in scrubs, she engaged the children with toy stethoscopes, bandages, and rhyming coloring books titled What Do Nurses Do? Her niece, Brooke, became a test patient by having her blood-pressure and vital signs checked to the great delight of her classmates. Maybury discussed personal safety, hand washing, when to call 911 for help, and why regular medical checkups and healthy eating are important. Maybury said “I was delighted to have the opportunity to talk with the future generation… I’m proud to be an RN. As an ambassador to promote a positive image of my profession, I can not only serve today’s patients, but, hopefully, influence tomorrow’s nurses.”
Aura Miranda of Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn was a recent guest on Dialogo de Costa a Costa, a daily talk show hosted by New York radio personality Malin Falu and exclusively produced by the Hispanic Information and Telecommunication Network. The show covers issues ranging from education, health, immigration, and labor matters. Miranda guest-starred alongside Jamie Torres, founder and national coordinator of Latinos for National Health Insurance, to discuss health care in the U.S. and Michael Moore’s movie, SiCKO. Miranda discussed her frontline experience in nursing and fielded questions from viewers who called in to discuss their own healthcare coverage difficulties. Following the show, Miranda’s co-panelist expressed how impressed he was with Miranda’s knowledge of the healthcare debate. The show’s producers took Miranda to lunch, saying they would stay in touch for related programs in the future.
Maimonides Medical Center labor and delivery nurse Galina Aksanov was honored by her employer at the Nursing Spectrum 2007 Nursing Excellence Awards. Aksanov’s exemplary leadership and compassion were cited as contributing to the hospital’s success in delivering the most babies in New York State in 2006. Born in Minsk, Belarus, Aksanov graduated from medical college and worked as a nurse for two years before moving to the U.S. in 1980. She earned an associate degree in nursing from Kingsborough Community College in 1985, joined Maimonides’ obstetric service in 1988, and received a bachelor’s degree in 2001. The award noted her “…passion for learning and sharing knowledge, the ability to build consensus with all members of the healthcare team, and successfully collaborating with them to ensure patient care is planned and delivered effectively and efficiently.”Her employer also commended Aksanov for her compassion and willingness to dedicate herself to the needs of her colleagues, her patients and their families.
Tanya Drake, professor of nursing at Rockland Community College has received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. The award paid tribute to her expertise, leadership, and commitment, and recognized her consistently superior service and volunteerism over the years. Drake is president of District 17 Professional Nurses Association of Rockland County, and joined NYSNA and District 13 upon receiving her first paycheck in 1969. She is past Executive Committee member of Sigma Theta Tau, who, colleagues noted, “has a low capacity for mediocrity, and demands excellence, but has also distinguished herself as a student advocate—numerous students attest that they didn’t always appreciate this until they became nurses.” Since 1989, prompted simply by the feeling that she “could make a difference” Drake has volunteered with the American Cancer Society, becoming a certified breast cancer detection educator in 1993. She helped found the Society’s Professional Nurses Education Committee, served on the Rockland County chapter board from 1998-2006, and is currently the Relay for Life Luminary Chair for Rockland county.
Theresa MacQueen, a staff nurse at Franklin Hospital, has received a 2007 Zuckerberg Family Award for Nursing Service Excellence. Recipients must meet or exceed expectations in all performance evaluations and in the quality of their work, attitude, interpersonal relationships, and attendance. MacQueen began her nursing career as an LPN in 1993, obtained her RN in 1997, and worked in the emergency departments at Wyckoff Heights Hospital and Franklin Hospital before moving into Franklin’s telemetry unit in 2001. Recipient of a workforce scholarship grant from Adelphi University in 2005, MacQueen served on a committee at Franklin that improved the flow of admissions from the ER to the telemetry unit. In 2006, she was recognized by her employer for the many positive letters the hospital had received from her patients.