Sycamore woman named 2024 nurse of year at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin

SYCAMORE – A nearly lifelong Sycamore resident who followed her mother’s footsteps into a career in the health care industry recently was recognized by her employer as nurse of the year.

Brittany Holliday, 37, was named the 2024 nurse of the year for Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin.

Holliday, a registered nurse and patient care leader, was one of more than 1,200 Advocate Health Care nurses who were nominated for the award. She was chosen and 32 others were award recipients. She said finding out she was being named nurse of the year for Advocate Sherman Hospital “was pretty great,” but not something she expected.

“It was a big surprise,” Holliday said. “I am pretty humbled by the whole experience. I wasn’t expecting that at all, but it just kind of reinforces the good work we’ve been doing at the hospital.”

Holliday has worked at Sherman Hospital for the past eight years. From 2022 to 2024 she was staff-nominated nursing staff president and was the first person to told that title. She used the position to work with professional governance councils to give her fellow nurses and staff members a voice, according to an Advocate Health Care news release.

Now a local leader in her profession, Holliday said it was memories of her mother that inspired her to help others feel better.

“My mom’s worked in health care since I was little, and she always enjoyed the work and working with the patients that she comes in contact with,” Holliday said, noting she didn’t initially go to college for nursing.

Andrew Smith, public affairs coordinator with Advocate Health Care said Holliday and her peers are central to Advocate’s operations.

“They [nurses] do so much in our hospitals that I don’t think a lot our patients and the community is really aware of,” Smith said. “They’re there 24/7, 365, so it’s really a special moment for us to be able to recognize a nurse from one of our hospitals and really celebrate them and all that they do.”