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Nurse's Day at Fox Chase Cancer Center: 100 Years of Excellence
PHILADELPHIA (May 24, 2004) -- As the hospital of Fox Chase Cancer Center celebrates its centennial and 100 years of progress against cancer, faculty paused to recognize the valuable role nurses have played in this milestone. This year's Nurse's Day celebration embraced the special centennial theme, complete with a slideshow of past nurses who have been a part of the Fox Chase family dating back to 1904, and a special visit from "Florence Nightingale".
"On this Nurse's Day celebration in 2004, we pause to appreciate our rich history of patient care and nursing excellence," said Joanne Hambleton, RN, MSN, CNA, vice president of nursing and patient services. "We pause to remember Fox Chase nurses who are not here with us today, but who are forever part of the rich tapestry that created our past, strengthens our present, and keeps us striving toward the future."
Hambleton added, "We, as our founding nurses were in 1904, are a part of a very special human journey that happens every day at Fox Chase. Our journey is a shared one with our patients, colleagues, and staff who willingly provide compassion and care in everything we do. The nurses of Fox Chase are committed, resilient and caring and are the ones who will help mold the future success of the hospital."
Several nursing excellence awards were presented at the ceremony. First, staff nurse, Nicole Ewerth, RN, OCN, was honored with the 22nd annual nursing department Recognition Award. Criteria for this award include candidates' service as a role model for their peers and the interest in maintaining high professional standards by continued personal growth through education and attendance at in-house or external programs. Other nominees recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty were Michelle Gerstemeier, RN, BSN; Donna Leva, LGPN; Maureen Oblaczynski, RN, CPAN; and Sandi Wetherbee, RN, MSN, OCN.
Marianne Michini, director of personnel and employee relations, presented certified nursing assistant Maria Crawford with the NAN award. This award is named in honor of a nurse whose benefactor works at Fox Chase and has anonymously donated the money for the purposes of providing tuition and financial support to the candidate as they continue their education. The NAN award is also a way to recognize the talents and contributions of the certified nurse assistants. Crawford is currently working towards her B.S. in nursing at Holy Family College.
Recipients for this year's Talbot Nursing Scholars Awards were Monica Domenick RN, BSN, OCN; Joanne McGarvey RN, BSN, OCN; and Carole Sweeney RN, MSN, AOCN. These awards enable recipients to attend prestigious national nursing conferences in their specialty and recognize the professional development and contribution to the department of nursing from each.
Finally, congratulations were offered to William Duffy, RN, BSN for twenty years of service at Fox Chase, and to those completing the Graduate Nurse Transition Program and the Nurse Extern Program.
Fox Chase Cancer Center was the first hospital in Pennsylvania to receive the prestigious Magnet award. At Fox Chase, nurses not only specialize in oncology, but further concentrate within a particular field allowing them to provide the most up-to-date treatment.
Fox Chase Cancer Center was founded in 1904 in Philadelphia, Pa. as the nation's first cancer hospital. In 1974, Fox Chase became one of the first institutions designated as a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center. Fox Chase conducts basic, clinical, population and translational research; programs of prevention, detection and treatment of cancer; and community outreach. For more information about Fox Chase activities, visit the Center's web site at www.fccc.edu.
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