Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital honors nurse with excellence award
Submitted by Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital awarded the 2013 Jean Ewing Nursing Excellence Award to Laura Pamay, BSN, RN, CPAN, CAPA of Grayslake, who works in surgical services at Northwestern Lake Forest.
She received the award during a Nurses’ Week luncheon for exemplifying the highest standards of professional and nursing excellence.
“Laura represents the very best of our profession,” said her supervisor, Judy Horvat. “She gives the very best compassionate care to her patients and is a wonderful role model for our nursing staff.”
Laura discovered her love of nursing while working for the American Nurses’ Association in Kansas City, Mo. After passing her board exams, she moved to Grayslake and worked in McHenry as a perianesthesia staff nurse before coming to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital four years ago.
While working full-time in ambulatory services as a perianesthesia nurse, Laura completed her baccalaureate in nursing from Purdue University Calumet. She currently holds the chair position of the hospital-wide shared nursing leadership council and serves as a resource to other council chairs.
“In our day surgery unit, we have a phrase posted that I like to live by: ‘you are responsible for the energy you bring to this place.’ I believe that we cannot soar unless we have each other to soar with,” Pamay said.
“This is such an exciting time in nursing, and I am so happy to be a part of this profession.”
“Laura is not only an exceptional nurse but also a committed leader for all the nurses at Northwestern Lake Forest,” said Vice President of Operations and Chief Nurse Executive Kimberly Nagy, MSN, RN, NEA-BC.
“Recognizing Laura’s contributions and those of our entire nursing team during Nurses’ Week is just a small sign of our appreciation for their hard work and dedication to the health and safety of our patients.”
Laura lived in several places throughout the country before settling in Grayslake 20 years ago. She lives with her husband Erol, also a nurse at Northwestern Lake Forest, and their 12-year-old twins. She enjoys running, gardening and reading, and she hopes to attend graduate school next year.
The hospital honored 11 other nurses with the 2013 Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Nursing Excellence awards. The winners are:
Ÿ Quality of Practice: Michelle Zillmann, RN, of Northbrook. (Special Care Nursery)
Ÿ Education: Diane Duddles, APN, RN, of Wadsworth. (Emergency Services)
Ÿ Professional Practice Evaluation: Kristine Austin, RN, of Mundelein. (Special Care Nursery)
Ÿ Communication: Laura Viti, RN, of Highwood. (Home Health)
Ÿ Collaboration: Michelle Nisbet, RN, of Gurnee. (Labor and Delivery)
Ÿ Ethics: Kathleen Ruh, RN, of Northbrook. (Emergency Department)
Ÿ Evidence-Based Practice and Research: Stephanie Risch, RN, of Gurnee. (Pediatrics)
Ÿ Resource Utilization: Melinda Tomzik, RN, of Park Ridge. (Labor and Delivery)
Ÿ Leadership: Ivy Reyes, RN, of Round Lake Beach. (Telemetry)
Ÿ Environmental Health: Damary Maldonado Casey, RN, of Lake Villa. (Emergency Services)
Ÿ Advance Practice: Laura Meller, MS, APN, CNS-BC, of Libertyville, Ill (Exceptional Practice)
The hospital also gave an award to an outstanding member of the support staff, Elisabeta Costecu (Physical Therapy).
The award recipients were honored for their quality and compassion in caring for patients, families and nursing colleagues and for meeting the American Nurses Association’s Standards of Professional Performance.
For more information about Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, visit lfh.org.
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