Nursing News

UAB Hospital, which includes UAB Highlands Hospital and UAB’s outpatient clinics, was granted recognition as a Magnet-designated organization today for the sixth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Program®. UAB Hospital is only the 19th hospital worldwide to receive this designation six consecutive times and is the only hospital in Alabama designated a Magnet organization.

Christina Humphrey, LMSW, a UAB social worker who serves gynecologic oncology patients, has been named a Legacy of Laura Healthcare Hero for 2024. This award is presented annually by the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation to a health care professional who fosters hope, compassion, positivity, and strength among patients with gynecologic cancer and survivors.

Congratulations to the most recent group of nurses who completed UAB Medicine’s Nurse Residency program, which helps newly licensed nurses transition into competent clinical practice. During the 12-month program, nurse residents develop professionally, gain practice knowledge, and learn to improve their skills by implementing a quality improvement or evidence-based practice project.

UAB Medicine Nurse Manager Natalie Fortson, RN, has been accepted into a prestigious leadership fellowship, the NurseTRUST Emerging Leaders Program, which is designed for nurses who are new to leadership roles.

UAB Hospital was designated as a Magnet organization in 2002, 2006, 2011, 2015, and 2019 by the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®.  This prestigious designation recognizes excellence in nursing services.  In February 2024, UAB Hospital is applying for re-designation.

Congratulations to the most recent winner: Caleb Giles, RN! What makes Caleb a DAISY winner? “Recently, Caleb and I walked to our cars together after work, as we usually do. Around 7:45 p.m., on our separate drives home in opposite directions on I-65, Caleb and I were in the middle of a deep and thoughtful conversation regarding how to improve the patient care and experience at UAB Hospital Emergency Department, when Caleb suddenly said, “Oh my goodness, they are doing CPR on the side of the interstate! I’ve got to help.” Without hesitation and full of concern for a random person in medical need, Caleb pulled to the side of the interstate and stated, “I’ll call you back.”  I said “ok,” hung up, and then called his wife so that she was aware of what was happening. Caleb is a true health care hero.”

Congratulations to the most recent winners: Adam Wilson, RN, and Taylor Turner, RN! What makes Adam and Taylor DAISY winners? “Adam Wilson, RN, and Taylor Turner, RN, are assistant nurse managers (ANMs) in the UAB Hospital Emergency Department. Traci Watkins, a call center operator, transferred a call to Adam from a distraught individual who was expressing suicidal and homicidal thoughts and said they planned to kill everyone in the home, including children. Adam and Taylor talked through the situation and remained on the phone with the caller for more than two hours, until help could arrive.

The American Association for Men in Nursing has recognized the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing as a 2023 Best School for Men in Nursing, the Birmingham at-Large Chapter of AAMN as the Best Chapter for 2023, and UAB Medicine as a 2023 Best Workplace for Men in Nursing.

After more than a year of providing wellness services to nurses at UAB Medicine, the focus of a $2.3 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration is now turning toward University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing students, faculty and staff.

UAB Medicine’s Cardio-Pulmonary Critical Care (CPCC) Unit has received a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).

October 18 is National Medical Assistants Day, which highlights the important work that certified medical assistants (CMAs) do in clinics and hospitals nationwide. Join UAB Medicine in recognizing the excellence of our own CMA staff and their crucial role in our mission to deliver the highest quality, most compassionate care possible.

Given the national shortage of nurses, one way a health system can build stability in its workforce is by fostering career growth among current staff. The UAB Medicine/Wallace State Community College (UAB/WSCC) Nursing Workforce Initiative (NWI) creates a pathway for full-time UAB Medicine employees to advance their career by earning a licensed practical nurse (LPN) certificate or associate degree in nursing (ADN), effective in 2023. Enrollment in the NWI has increased tenfold since it launched in 2022 as a scholarship program funded by UAB Medicine.