Nurses Week is held May 6 through 12 every year, with May 12 being the birthday of Florence Nightingale, known as the founder of modern nursing. Nurses are the backbone of patient care in the hospital. They are often the primary point of contact for patients during their stay, and they leave a lasting impression.
This year as we celebrated Nurses Week, McLaren Greater Lansing held an annual award ceremony that recognizes the various nurses who help make an impact every day in the lives of their patients and their peers. This includes giving out the Margaret McLaren Nursing Excellence Award, named after Margaret McLaren, a pioneer in the field of nursing and the first nurse to have a hospital named after them.
This year’s award was presented to Betsy Lehner, a registered nurse, who works in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), where patients stay temporarily after surgical procedures.
In Betsy’s nomination, a fellow colleague wrote: “Betsy recently spoke up about a medication administration labeling inaccuracy. Betsy spoke up about the error and ensured the patient was safe. Because Betsy spoke up for safety, it alerted our Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Department to trigger our process and procedures to get this error resolved.”
The nomination went on to state that because of Betsy’s initiative, a McLaren systemwide approach has been engaged to test and review access of alerts in the system. Betsy’s high regard for evidence-based practices and patient safety makes her an exceptional recipient for this year’s award.
Betsy, who has been a nurse at McLaren Greater Lansing for eight years, received the award in the presence of her family, colleagues, and McLaren leaders. While working in research, Betsy decided to take the leap in going back to school in the nursing profession, where it became her second career.
“I’m so honored to be recognized by my peers and leadership, and it helps solidify that when I decided to make a career change that I made the right decision,” said Betsy. “This profession has allowed me to use my science background and give back to the community through patient care.”
Betsy went on to say that she’s always loved to help people and treat people the way she would want to be treated and had felt drawn to nursing in that way.
During the ceremony, McLaren also presented its Margaret McLaren Nursing Leadership Award to Cynthia Keyton, RN, a clinical manager who oversees oncology services at Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Greater Lansing.
“To receive this leadership recognition, it makes me feel overwhelmed with love,” said Cynthia. “It really makes me feel motivated even more to find more ways we can help care for our patients, the community, and our organization.”
Cynthia, who has worked at McLaren for 10 years, said her family was the first to notice characteristics and traits in her that would be suited for going into nursing.
“My grandfather always encouraged me to go into the medical field, and my dad also said I should go into nursing because of my eagerness to help others,” said Cynthia. “I started to work at an oncology facility in reception and that is really where my desire to go into nursing flourished.”
Through that experience, she worked in various departments and units, but she knew that oncology had always been where she was meant to be.
Cynthia’s nomination by a fellow colleague stated, “She consistently communicates with patients, staff, providers, team members, and others in a professional and courteous manner. The mission of Karmanos Cancer Institute is ‘to lead in transformative cancer care, research, and education through courage, commitment, and compassion,’ and Cynthia embodies the mission statement by providing compassionate leadership.”
Cynthia’s nomination went on to say her collaboration skills have resulted in enhanced and inclusive communication between facilitating meetings in multiple departments within the cancer center that have led to better processes.
In accepting her award, Cynthia said she is honored to be recognized and is focused on continuing to grow in her profession and doing what’s best for her patients.
McLaren is proud to have a group of nurses who are committed to providing expert compassionate care to every patient. If you had a wonderful nurse at McLaren Greater Lansing, please share your experience here.
As a participant in the DAISY Award program, McLaren gives the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, which recognizes the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. To nominate your favorite nurse for the DAISY Award, click here.
To read more articles from McLaren Greater Lansing on health and wellness topics, click here.