The Veterans Affairs (VA) Maryland Health Care System observed National Nurses Week (May 6-12) with an awards ceremony, May 7, in the auditorium at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, delivered the keynote address on the future of nursing. Nurses were honored with the VA Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Nursing and the 2012 DAISY Award.
“We consider our nurses—the largest of our workforce at more than 900 strong, of which 700 are RN’s and Nurse Practitioners—to be the compassionate backbone of our health care system,” Dennis H. Smith, director of the VA Maryland Health Care System said in a statement. “We are thrilled to honor the dedicated men and women who have mastered the art and science of caring for our nation’s heroes with compassion. No other health care professional is closer to the Veterans we serve than VA nurses. Our patients rely on them for their compassion, and the VA relies on them for setting the highest clinical care standards.”
The VA Maryland Health Care System’s nursing staff includes licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, health technicians and nursing assistants who serve Veterans at three inpatient facilities and six community based outpatient clinics throughout the state.