The Wright Stuff: Our nurses do it all

A message to the WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals family

It’s National Nurses Week – a great time for me to thank our nurses for all that they do. It’s a great opportunity for you to do the same!

Quite simply, our nurses do it all, and many times it’s their warmth or a generous touch, such as bonding with a family, that defines a patient experience. I want our nurses to know that I often hear about these “little things,” and I appreciate you always going the extra mile for our patients.

I’m also thankful at this time of year because I don’t have to pick the winner of our annual WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals Nurse of the Year award. It is an extremely difficult choice. There are so many worthy candidates, and our outstanding nurses range far beyond our five nominees.

This year’s Nurse of the Year is Pam Frantz, of the Resource Pool, who received her award at a ceremony today (May 6). Read the press release. The other nominees were Michael Schwalm, WVU Medicine Children’s; Susan Heiskell, 7 West; Monica Thomas, WVU Heart and Vascular Institute; and Ashley Petrosky, 10 East.

Pam started her career here in the 1980s and came back to Morgantown after practicing for years in Colorado. She could go anywhere in the country, but she chose to come back here. It’s a privilege and an honor to have her back.

Despite around 40 years of experience, Pam is still involved in direct, bedside care, which is noteworthy because it’s such a tough, demanding job. Patients are Pam’s passion, and being on the front lines is a role she embraces – so much so that she is a STAT nurse and part of our Rapid Response Team.

But Pam also pursues career development and research opportunities. Her latest research project will benefit WVU Medicine significantly. In an effort to increase patient comfort and reduce waste and the chance for infection, we will soon begin removing and swapping new IVs as needed, instead of every four days, which was our previous method. This change springs from a research project Pam headed.

From research to bedside bonding, Pam and all of our nurses have diverse skill sets that benefit our patients in so many ways. They are truly special!

CAPTIONS: Pictured above is Nurse of the Year Pam Frantz and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Doug Mitchell. Pictured right, are nominees Monica Thomas and Susan Heiskell; CNO Doug Mitchell; Nurse of the Year Pam Frantz; and nominees Michael Schwalm, and Ashley Petrosky.