socially speaking
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STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY RONALD W. WETHERINGTON | SOCIAL EDITOR Ron@ocalamagazine.com
Celebrating 100 Great Nurses
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ecently, during the National Nurse Practitioner Week, the Marion County Nurses Association hosted the 2018 Great 100 Nurses of Marion County celebration at the Ewers Century Center on the College of Central Florida’s campus. Proceeds from this event went towards scholarships for registered nurse education for Marion County candidates. The Great 100 Nurses celebration is important in that it gives nurses from all institutions and practice areas a chance to socialize and network in a not work-related environment as well as spotlight diversity in practice areas and reward excellence. Participating sponsors of the 100 Great
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| OCALAMAGAZINE.COM | JAN. 2019
Nurses event included the two majority employers of nurses in our community, which are Ocala Health Systems that includes Ocala Regional Medical Center and West Marion Community Hospital as well as Florida Hospital Ocala which was formerly Munroe Regional Medical Center. Additional support came from local businesses as well as the primary source of nurses for our community for many years, which is the College of Central Florida and the College of Central Florida Foundation. The Marion County Nurses Association is a professional organization dedicated to promoting the health and welfare of our community. Their energies are primarily directed at advancing the art and science of nursing through educational and other health related activities. Directors of the Marion County Nurses Association include Mary Clark, APRN, Dr. Allison Brewer-Reed, APRN and Carol Blakeman, APRN. Carol Blakeman observes, “One of the reasons the Great 100 celebration is important is that it recognizes 100 nurses for doing an outstanding job. It does not limit this celebration to one nurse. It does not distinguish any of the 100 nurses as being better than another. It celebrates their diversity to provide optimal client care in a variety of areas. Each of the nurses selected for the Great 100 stood out in some manner. All of them went beyond their employment roles to improve the life of Marion County.” A nurse’s education is rigorous. Dr. Stephanie Cortes, who is Dean of Health Sciences at the College of Central Florida, emphasizes, “When a student enters nursing school, they must go through a total transformation in the way they study, think and act. Nursing is a career that requires individuals to think critically and act quickly in response to a patient’s presentation. Nursing
Heidi Maier and Cheryl Sirmons
school is intense and expectations are high. After all, a patient’s life could be on the line if a mistake is made. That is why nursing students are required to spend so much time in the skills lab, simulation lab and clinical setting prior to graduation. We want graduates to be as prepared as possible for what they will face in today’s health care environment.” Most will agree that nursing is more than just a profession, it is a calling. There is a growing need for nurses and vacancies are difficult to fill. Many older nurses are retiring at a much faster rate than they can be replaced. This creates a need for nurses that is difficult to fill. Mary Clark notes, “It is crucial for the future of Marion County that we attract bright young people to nursing and help them with scholarships whenever possible. The majority of our nurses are trained locally.” Nursing is an excellent career choice. Kreychel Ordiway, RN notes, “Nursing is a calling in my opinion. The reward is seeing your patient recover from a serious illness. Another rewarding part to me is when I’m honoring a patient’s end of life wishes and helping the patient and family through their last days and last hours together.” To further assist in the education of nurses, consider contributing to the scholarship fund of the Marion County Nurses Association or the College of Central Florida.