Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital celebrates nurses during National Nurses Week

After two years of virtual and distanced celebrations, Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital was finally able to celebrate National Nurses Week May 6-12 in person this year with a series of events, activities and awards highlighting the achievements of its staff.

“The past two years we haven’t been able to celebrate together in person,” said Delnor Hospital Chief Nurse Executive Gina Reid Tinio. “This is the first time in two years that we actually were in a room together with our winners and their families.”

Delnor kicked off its celebrations on May 6 with an awards ceremony honoring achievements of its nursing staff in areas such as leadership, research and professionalism, Reid Tinio said.

“Our winners don’t know they’re winners until I announce their name,” she said. “Their families enter the room once they’re announced.”

Many of the winning nurses are surprised by the award, believing that they are just doing their jobs, but Reid Tinio said that their work goes far beyond the call of duty.

“It’s a very special moment, and a wonderful time for nurses to recognize their colleagues,” she said. “Our nurses tend to be very humble, and don’t think they’re doing anything extraordinary. What I have said to them is ‘what you believe is ordinary, is really your extraordinary.’ I think that there’s a lot of emotion that day.

“Just to have them be able to share that moment with their family is really amazing.”

Among the winners was Critical Care Clinical Shift Coordinator Chelsea Hutchinson, who received the Falk Rising Leader Award.

“It was very overwhelming, but in a very good sense,” Hutchinson said. “The team that I work with at Delnor, in the critical care unit, is phenomenal. Over the last two year’s it’s been really intense. We’ve been through a lot. So to be nominated by people that I work so closely with and mean so much to me, it was overwhelming to say the least.”

Hutchinson said that she appreciated the opportunity to celebrate with her team and family after a long time apart.

“It’s a little surreal, right?” she said. “To be in a large group can be a little daunting but I think we’re all coming to terms with how to deal with that.”

Reid Tinio said that the Falk Rising Leader award recognizes nurses who go above and beyond on their team while also furthering their education.

“For me, just reading those nominations and stepping back, I was like ‘Wow, we did all that, during this crazy time’,” Reid Tinio said.

The achievements made by nursing staff during the pandemic were a major point of emphasis throughout this year’s Nurses Week.

“The theme of Nurses Week this year was rooted in strength,” Reid Tinio said. “As a system, the chief nurses across the Northwestern medical system came together to really align our theme on Nurses Week activities to really honor our nurses.”

Over the course of the week, nurses participated in activities centered around different themes. Reid Tinio said that a particular highlight was “Wellness Wednesday,” which saw nurses participate in activities such as planting sunflowers, relaxing in massage chairs and exploring virtual jungles using VR helmets.

“[These are] just lots of great things to help them reflect and help them get grounded in the pride that they should feel for what they’ve accomplished over the last few years,” Reid Tinio said.

Reid Tinio said that like hospitals and medical facilities nationwide, the COVID-19 pandemic put a strain on nurse staffing.

“Organizations across the country are facing challenges with not only nursing but support staffing,” she said. “We’re very fortunate that we have been able to recruit some new talent and we’re starting to see us level off and be in a better place.”

Delnor Hospital has a staff of nearly 500 nurses, Reid Tinio said.

“I’m really, really proud of [our nurses]. I want them to recognize that they truly are healthcare heroes,” she said. “Everyday when you come to work, your efforts are truly heroic, even if you don’t believe it.”

The full list of Nurses Week Award winners:

Falk Rising Leader Award Honoree

• Chelsea Hutchison Clinical Shift Coordinator, Critical Care Unit

Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital Flinn Family Fund Scholarship Award

• Avery Green, Critical Care Unit
• Flo Burns, Critical Care Unit

Transformational Leader

• Katie Nelsen, Outcomes Manager, CCU, RRT, Interventional Labs
• Eryn Whiting, Clinical Shift Coordinator, Emergency Department

Professional Practice

• Corey Laster, Outpatient Infusion Clinic
• Claire Gould

Nursing Partnership

• Stephanie Gartner

Contribution to Research

• Lauren Freeman, Clinical Practice Partner, Professional Development

Physician Partner

• Dr. Seshanand Rao, Hospitalist