#GEMawards
Excellence in Management
An RN who makes signifi cant contributions to the management, supervision or direction of the environment of care and the performance of staff , demonstrating an ability to lead, infl uence and improve outcomes of care in any inpatient or outpatient setting.
Laura Iacono, MSN, CCRN, CNRN, CNML
Nurse Manager, Neurosurgical ICU
North Shore University Hospital
Manhasset, N.Y.
“This in not an award for my accomplishments, but an award that tells the story of a team committed to excellence every day with every patient,” said Iacono when she received the GEM award. She pointed to North Shore University Hospital’s neurosurgical ICU unit winning the AACN Silver Beacon Award for Excellence and the process she and fellow nurses pursued as her proudest moments.
“Now they [the nurses] know the strength of the team is so much stronger than the individual,” Iacono said. She said the Beacon award confi rmed her ability to encourage and empower her staff — and the staff in turn showed a positive attitude on the unit, even under diffi cult circumstances.
Iacono said the decision to stick with what she knew best and what she enjoyed most — neuroscience nursing — has been instrumental in her practice. “It excites me, it drives me and inspires me every day,” she said.
Iacono off ered some words of wisdom to new nurses: “Always ask questions of senior nurses, nurse leaders, physicians and NPs. You will not learn everything if you only rely on your bedside care to gain knowledge.”
20 Visit us at
NURSE.com • 2016
Unafraid of expressing what might be considered a cliché, Schwartzbach said she feels the most pride when she can connect on a human level with her patients and their families. Because she oſt en sees people “on the worst days of their lives,” she said anything she can do to lighten the burden is just as important to her as it is to her patients.
Her career choices have been deliberate, Schwartzbach said, including her carefully thought- out decision to defer pursuing an advanced degree. Instead she is combining her passion for patient care with the freedom to write and publish her work.
Being selected as a nurse blogger for the Huffi ngton Post has served as validation that one does not necessarily have to take a traditional path to serve as a voice or create change. “That opportunity created a pivot in the direction of my work, both at the bedside and in the written capacity,” she said. “It showed me that my voice could resonate with others and perhaps spark change and progress in the nursing community.” •
Karen Schmidt is a freelance writer.
READ EXTENDED PROFILES ON THE WINNERS AT
Nurse.com/Article/2016-GEM-Northeast-Winners
Rising Star
An RN who has been licensed and working in any care setting for fewer than fi ve years and who possesses a strong nursing knowledge base and good clinical skills; who shows special characteristics and traits indicative of future leadership strengths; who has personal and career goals in place and who demonstrates knowledge of current professional nursing issues.
Sonja Schwartzbach, BSN, RN, CCRN
Registered Nurse, CTICU
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick, N.J.
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