2011 Nightingale Luminary Awardt

Sherrod Beall, Karen Forest, Mary Krugman, Loma Prang, Tanya Tanner, and Debra Toison joined an elite group of nurses on May 14 when they each received the prestigious Nightingale Award for Excellence at the Colorado Nurses Foundation's annual awards event at the Red Lion Hotel Denver Southeast in Aurora, Colorado. While continuing the twenty-five year tradition of recognizing excellence in professional nursing, this year's awards were designed to highlight nurses whose actions and outcomes exemplified the spirit of a citizen of the profession through either leadership, advocacy, or innovation. Two hundred and sixty six outstanding nurses from across the state were nominated in one of two practice categories: nurses in clinical practice and nurse administrators, educators, researchers, or those in non-traditional roles. Nominators were asked to describe how their nominee advanced the profession of nursing, improved quality and access to care, or positively impacted their community through leadership, advocacy or innovation. Forty-three Luminaries were selected by either the Area Higher Education Centers (AHEC) or the Regional Nightingale Committees and forwarded to the State Selection Committee, where six of the Luminary Award recipients, one from each category and one from each area of recognition, were selected to receive the traditional Nightingale Award. The Luminary and Nightingale Award recipients, representing diverse roles and practice settings, are listed as follows, along with their contributions to their patients, their profession, and their communities. Luminary Recipients for Leadership in Clinical Practice: Outstanding nurses who motivated others to work toward a common goal.