Julie Kuzin, a nurse practitioner at Texas Children’s Heart Center, recently received the 2017 American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence. This prestigious award is given annually to a dedicated nurse practitioner in each state who demonstrates excellence in their area of practice.
“Since joining the cardiology team in 2004, Kuzin has cemented her place as a smart and thorough clinician who delivers safe, effective, and efficient care to our patients and their families,” said Angela Gooden, a pediatric nurse practitioner and manager of Advanced Practice Providers in Cardiology, who nominated Kuzin for this award. “We applaud Julie for the outstanding contributions she has made to the APRN practice at Texas Children’s Hospital and across the state of Texas.”
Kuzin was recognized for a number of achievements, including her leadership in advancing professional standards and practice guidelines across the organization. In partnership with Texas Children’s, Kuzin was instrumental in developing a post-master’s Acute Care PNP certification program at Texas Tech University School of Nursing in 2014 to meet professional practice needs for increased access.
Kuzin has been an active participant in efforts to reform NP practice in the state of Texas. She has travelled to multiple legislative sessions and has disseminated key information from those visits. Her fervent commitment to advancing the scope of practice at Texas Children’s was most inspiring by her colleagues when she served as the first assistant director of Acute Care Advanced Practice Providers prior to taking on faculty duties with Texas Tech. Also, Kuzin has served as a model and mentor to providers with her participation in evidenced-based practice and research.
“Many of our APRNs are unsung heroes in their practice, doing what is ordinary to advanced nursing practice but is seen as extraordinary to patients and families,” said Charley Elliott, director of Advanced Practice Providers at Texas Children’s. “We congratulate Julie for achieving this prestigious state award of excellence.”