Elgin nursing director recognized as Advocate Health Care’s Nurse Leader of the Year

Darren Smith is the director of nursing, critical care, emergency services and nursing operations for Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin. He was selected as the 2023 Nurse Leader of the Year for his exemplary work in leadership and commitment to nursing excellence.

Jane Dus, chief nursing officer of Advocate Health-Midwest Region, shares, “Advocate Health nurses deliver exceptional, evidence-based and equitable care to help all patients live fully. However, it’s their ability to bring their most authentic selves to work each day that lets us bear witness to the compassionate and driven individuals they are. It is a true honor to celebrate this excellence in action.”

For as long as he can remember, Smith felt a calling to serve others, attributing his decision to go into nursing to his sister, who is also a nurse. He served as a medic in the Iowa Army National Guard beginning in his junior year of high school.

During multiple deployments, Smith dived into leadership at a very early age. He saw firsthand the integral role that leaders play in culture, structure, process and outcomes. It helped him understand the impact he could have as a leader.

His experiences in the National Guard inspired him to pursue leadership in nursing where he knew he could continue to serve those that serve patients.

Smith has worked at Advocate Sherman for the past 14 years and says there is a special sense of belonging there that’s unmatched. Moreover, he takes pride in bringing high-quality health care to the Elgin community where he lives and raises his family.

“I’m honored and humbled to be named Nurse Leader of the Year, but really the praise is most deserving of my teammates, they are the ones doing the work and it’s a privilege to work with them,” reflects Smith. “Whenever you’re recognized, big or small, it re-energizes you to go forward and do more. The work we do in health care is challenging and I’m very appreciative of how this recognition has refocused me and given me more energy.”

Smith has led several successful projects and initiatives in the emergency department. Most recently, he equipped his team to work toward a national recognition for excellence.

In 2023, the team received the Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association, a recognition only 1% of hospitals nationwide achieve. In addition to supporting his team, Smith also devotes times to coaching leaders outside of his department through Advocate Health Care’s mentor program.

“Darren is an emotionally intelligent leader who empowers his team to speak up and create change,” said Susan Morby, chief nursing officer of Advocate Sherman. “As a result, his team is highly engaged which translates into the outstanding patient care our hospital provides each day.”

More than 750 nominations for this premier award were received on behalf of nurses from a variety of specialties across the patient care continuum. These front line nurses represent diversity in their backgrounds and experiences, including honorees with decades of experience and others new to the profession yet already making an impact on their patients, colleagues and communities.

Nominations were submitted by clinicians and teammates and reviewed by peer committees for blinded judging according to each nominee’s passion for patient care, commitment to service, solution-oriented abilities and evidence-based practice.

Advocate Health Care is part of Advocate Health, which employs more than 42,000 nurses across the nation, including 27 acute care facilities and more than 500 sites of care in the Midwest.