Wake Forest Baptist Nurse Receives National Award
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – By providing outstanding care to older adults, Kathy Long, R.N., of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, has been awarded the 2009 Excellence in Gerontological Nursing Award.
“I truly enjoy what I do and I am humbled to think I am being recognized nationally for providing excellence in geriatric care,” Long said. “I just love working with the older adults because they are so appreciative of any thing you do, and I admire them for what they have given to make America what it is today. They deserve the highest standard of care possible.”
The annual award is presented by the National Gerontological Nursing Association (NGNA). Long will travel to the NGNA convention Oct. 8–11 in St. Louis to attend the awards luncheon. The award was established to recognize excellence in individuals who provide care to older adults and is intended to honor an advanced-practice registered nurse, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or a certified nursing assistant who has been an inspirational role model and mentor to other health care workers.
Long was nominated by her co-workers Franklin Watkins, M.D., Terrie Michaels, R.N., and Carolyn Fulton, R.N. She is a 1973 graduate of the North Carolina Baptist Hospital School of Nursing and has been employed at the hospital since then. She received her bachelor of science in nursing degree from Winston-Salem State University in 1993 and board certification in geriatrics from American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2001. In 2006 she received fellow status from NGNA, an honor that recognizes outstanding leadership in gerontological nursing for outstanding contributions to the field.
Long’s experience in the nursing field is varied. Most currently, she has been the unit manager for the Acute Care of Elderly (ACE) unit for the last nine years. Prior to that she was a manager for the renal and cardiothoracic populations, and managed the palliative care unit.
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