BARRY’S BAY – A nurse who has worked most of her career in St. Francis Memorial Hospital’s emergency department has been nominated for Toronto Star’s Nightingale Award.
Every year, the newspaper invites readers to nominate an Ontario nurse to be recognized in the national news source. Out of those nominations, one nurse is chose, along with some honourable mentions, by representatives from Ontario’s nursing associations and the Star.
The recipient is then featured in the May 6 edition of the paper, which kicks off National Nurses Week that runs through to May 12. National Nurses Week ends on the birthday of Florence Nightingale (1820 to 1910), who is known as the founder of professional nursing.
Tammy Dunne, who works full time at St. Francis Memorial Hospital, was flattered to learn that she had been nominated by someone for the award. Earlier this month, one of her colleagues had posted the nomination list with her name highlighted.
“I felt very humbled and little bit embarrassed,” Dunne laughed. “I am not one that likes to be centred out because I am a firm believer that I am a member of a team. So when my name appears there for me, that’s my whole team. St. Francis is so blessed. We have such wonderful nurses and a family feeling. I don’t feel that I do anything special. I just think that I am one cog in the wheel.”
While she doesn’t know who nominated her, she said it was a nice surprise to be included as one of the 156 nominees from around the province.
Get your May 17, 2017 edition of The Valley Gazette to read the full article.