The Patient Choice Award
Nominate an Individual Nurse or a Nursing Team
In 1999, to further recognize exceptional nurses caring for patients, the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania added another accolade, The Patient Choice Award. In the Spring of that year, a press release was issued asking patients to write a letter describing a nurse who has touched their lives or the lives of their families in an unforgettable way. One nurse was chosen from the many letters which were received and we've been requesting to hear your stories ever since!
Now, after witnessing the amazing efforts of our front-line nurses during this pandemic, we are expanding the award category to include a team award. Please consider honoring either an individual nurse or a nursing team (unit) to receive this prestigious recognition.
Spread the word using our Patient Choice Poster.
Email the poster to anyone who might be interested in nominating a nurse, pass it out, or hang it on the wall at your facility.
Now, after witnessing the amazing efforts of our front-line nurses during this pandemic, we are expanding the award category to include a team award. Please consider honoring either an individual nurse or a nursing team (unit) to receive this prestigious recognition.
Spread the word using our Patient Choice Poster.
Email the poster to anyone who might be interested in nominating a nurse, pass it out, or hang it on the wall at your facility.
2021 Patient Choice Team Award Letter:
Dear Patient Choice Awards Committee,
It is such a pleasure to tell you about an amazing team I have experienced twice in a 4-month timeframe. I am 17 years old and recently relocated to the Lancaster area with my mother for her new job. We weren’t even here for 2 months and I was taken to the OR for emergency surgery for an appendectomy. This caused both my mother and I a lot of anxiety, as I have posterior orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), amplified pain syndrome (APS) and actual diagnosed amnesia (thanks to my POTS). This means my heart rate and blood pressure are all over the place, my EKG rhythm is abnormal, and we weren’t sure how my APS would respond to the surgery (of course my memory is less then reliable).
Add in the fact that my mother, who is a nurse, and has guided my care through this? You can start to picture in your mind how we might be feeling/looking. As soon as we were taken back into the perioperative area and met my nurse, I started to feel like everything would be OK. Then, the anesthesiologist showed up and to our delight, we found out they specialized in open heart surgery. They told us in a very kind message that they were completely familiar with POTS and that they knew exactly what to do (they also had a very wonderful accent!).
There was a CRNA I spoke with who put me at ease as well. The CRNA and OR nurse arrived at my room, explained everything to me and then rolled me into my operating room. After they got me situated, I knew it was time to go to sleep because the nurse put their hand on my arm, rubbed their thumb back and forth (like my mom does) and told me I would be OK.
Fast forward three months later and again I have a scheduled surgery. The PCA that roomed me spent time talking to us and mentioned that their son has POTS as well. They understood the life changes that go with this and were super supportive. The nurse was kind, both before and after my surgery. My anesthesiologists were also kind and made sure to tell me that they read my chart and knew how to care for me and my POTS (what a relief!). Everyone in the surgical room were very kind, gentle, informative, and put me at ease.
Over the last couple of years, I have spent time helping my mom with patient experience training. I played the role of a patient while nurses, doctors and PCAs, would come through a simulation room. You pick up a lot by listening and watching and everyone I met on this surgical team at Tower Health – Reading Hospital NAILED IT! It made me feel confident, safe and at ease – which is just what it is supposed to do! I am thankful for everything they did for me and know that this is how they treat everyone. Words cannot explain my gratitude for this team. They treated me as if I was family and that is something that I will never forget!
Sincerely,
Talia Green
Dear Patient Choice Awards Committee,
It is such a pleasure to tell you about an amazing team I have experienced twice in a 4-month timeframe. I am 17 years old and recently relocated to the Lancaster area with my mother for her new job. We weren’t even here for 2 months and I was taken to the OR for emergency surgery for an appendectomy. This caused both my mother and I a lot of anxiety, as I have posterior orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), amplified pain syndrome (APS) and actual diagnosed amnesia (thanks to my POTS). This means my heart rate and blood pressure are all over the place, my EKG rhythm is abnormal, and we weren’t sure how my APS would respond to the surgery (of course my memory is less then reliable).
Add in the fact that my mother, who is a nurse, and has guided my care through this? You can start to picture in your mind how we might be feeling/looking. As soon as we were taken back into the perioperative area and met my nurse, I started to feel like everything would be OK. Then, the anesthesiologist showed up and to our delight, we found out they specialized in open heart surgery. They told us in a very kind message that they were completely familiar with POTS and that they knew exactly what to do (they also had a very wonderful accent!).
There was a CRNA I spoke with who put me at ease as well. The CRNA and OR nurse arrived at my room, explained everything to me and then rolled me into my operating room. After they got me situated, I knew it was time to go to sleep because the nurse put their hand on my arm, rubbed their thumb back and forth (like my mom does) and told me I would be OK.
Fast forward three months later and again I have a scheduled surgery. The PCA that roomed me spent time talking to us and mentioned that their son has POTS as well. They understood the life changes that go with this and were super supportive. The nurse was kind, both before and after my surgery. My anesthesiologists were also kind and made sure to tell me that they read my chart and knew how to care for me and my POTS (what a relief!). Everyone in the surgical room were very kind, gentle, informative, and put me at ease.
Over the last couple of years, I have spent time helping my mom with patient experience training. I played the role of a patient while nurses, doctors and PCAs, would come through a simulation room. You pick up a lot by listening and watching and everyone I met on this surgical team at Tower Health – Reading Hospital NAILED IT! It made me feel confident, safe and at ease – which is just what it is supposed to do! I am thankful for everything they did for me and know that this is how they treat everyone. Words cannot explain my gratitude for this team. They treated me as if I was family and that is something that I will never forget!
Sincerely,
Talia Green
Nominations Accepted April 1-June 2, 2022
Submit Your Nomination Online (link will be active once nominations open)
Online submission are preferred, but you also have the option to mail your nomination to:
Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania, 2400 Ardmore Boulevard, Suite 302, Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Please note that you are not permitted to nominate yourself or a member of your family.
Submit Your Nomination Online (link will be active once nominations open)
Online submission are preferred, but you also have the option to mail your nomination to:
Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania, 2400 Ardmore Boulevard, Suite 302, Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Please note that you are not permitted to nominate yourself or a member of your family.
Nominate an Individual Nurse:
Write a letter, with no more than 500 words, and tell us about your beloved nurse and the care they provided, as well as the impact they made on your and your family. If your letter is selected, You and the nurse will be invited to attend the annual Nightingale Awards Gala in Harrisburg to honor this special nurse on Friday, October 22, 2021. This award is a time-honored tradition and a highlight of our gala!
Your nomination should include the name of your special nurse, the nurses’ contact information, and her/his employer, as well as your name, address, and phone number.
Nominate a Nursing Team/Unit:
Write a letter, with no more than 500 words, to tell us how this nursing team impacted you or your family. If your letter is selected, you and a spokesperson for the team will be invited to accept the award and to honor this special group at the Nightingale Awards Gala in the Fall. The team will receive an acknowledgment never to be forgotten!
Your nomination should include the name of the hospital or facility, the specific unit, and the name of a contact person on the team/unit, as well as your name, address, and phone number. Please note that you may not nominate your own team for this award.
Write a letter, with no more than 500 words, and tell us about your beloved nurse and the care they provided, as well as the impact they made on your and your family. If your letter is selected, You and the nurse will be invited to attend the annual Nightingale Awards Gala in Harrisburg to honor this special nurse on Friday, October 22, 2021. This award is a time-honored tradition and a highlight of our gala!
Your nomination should include the name of your special nurse, the nurses’ contact information, and her/his employer, as well as your name, address, and phone number.
Nominate a Nursing Team/Unit:
Write a letter, with no more than 500 words, to tell us how this nursing team impacted you or your family. If your letter is selected, you and a spokesperson for the team will be invited to accept the award and to honor this special group at the Nightingale Awards Gala in the Fall. The team will receive an acknowledgment never to be forgotten!
Your nomination should include the name of the hospital or facility, the specific unit, and the name of a contact person on the team/unit, as well as your name, address, and phone number. Please note that you may not nominate your own team for this award.
