It’s hard to contain the celebration of nursing to just one week at Texas Children’s – every day there are inspirational stories that demonstrate how our nurses go above and beyond for the patients and families in our care, ensuring the best possible experience and outcomes.
Still, Texas Children’s Nursing Retention Council planned a series of events this month for National Nurses Week 2021 and partnered with our chaplains and Employee Well-Being to offer virtual activities, such as Blessing of the Hands and self-care sessions.
From May 6-12, the council offered a variety of ways for nurses to feel celebrated, recognized and appreciated for their hard work, dedication and resilience. For Show Your Pride Day, nurses wore their favorite t-shirts representing a different theme each day: College Pride Day, Disney Magic Day, Sports Team Day and Texas Children’s/Unit Pride Day. Many nurses also enjoyed the grab-and-go breakfast and late-night ice cream treats, among other activities.
Awards and Recognitions
As part of Nurses Week, Texas Children’s recognized our Houston Chronicle Salute to Nurses honorees, one of whom was honored among Greater Houston’s Top 15 Nurses of the Year. In addition, 44 nurses were named Texas Association of Nurses District 9 Nursing Heroes. To learn more about these recipients, click here.
As a finale for the week, the 2021 Nursing Excellence Award honorees received recognition for their commitment to improving nursing care and patient outcomes. With a traditional in-person event on hold for COVID-19, winners were celebrated at a live virtual ceremony hosted by Chief Nursing Officer Jackie Ward. To view photos from the ceremony, view below.
Scholarships
Established in memory of Molly Mae, a beloved, former patient at Texas Children’s, the Molly Mae LeBlanc Nursing Scholarship provides tuition assistance to patient care assistants (PCAs) and RNs who are pursuing bachelor’s or master’s degrees in Nursing. Congratulations to our 2021 recipients, who were honored during Nurses Week:
- Susan Arriaga is a medical assistant at the Women’s Clinic in The Woodlands. She started at Texas Children’s in 2020. She is enrolled in the Lonestar College BSN program and plans to graduate in May 2025.
- Brittany Walters is clinical nurse coordinator for the International and Destination Medicine department. She has worked at Texas Children’s since 2014. She plans to virtually attend the Case Management Society of America’s annual conference this summer.
- Trisha Woodson is a staff nurse in the Surgical/Orthopedic acute care unit at the Main campus. She has been with Texas Children’s since 2008. She is enrolled in the University of Texas at Arlington MSN program and plans to graduate in June 2023.
As the 2021 recipients of the David and Polly Roth Nursing Education Scholarship, these team members honored during Nurses Week will receive tuition assistance for pursuing professional nursing and BSN degrees. Established by Dr. David Roth and his wife, Polly, the first scholarship was awarded in 2017 and is dedicated to Texas Children’s employees in certain roles, including PCAs and medical assistants.
- Crystal Hanna is a patient care assistant in the Float Pool at West Campus. She joined Texas Children’s in 2016. She is enrolled in the Western Governors BSN program and anticipates graduation in 2023.
- Chasity Johnson is a patient care assistant in the CVICU at Main Campus, and has been with Texas Children’s since 2015. She is enrolled in the Western Governors BSN program and plans to graduate in 2023.
- Emma Robinson is a pharmacy tech at the Main Campus. She joined Texas Children’s in 2016. She is enrolled in the University of Texas at Arlington BSN program and is expected to graduate in December 2021.
Texas Children’s also honored this Nurses Week the 2021 recipients of the Len Slusser Nursing Scholarship. The scholarship provides tuition assistance to Texas Children’s registered nurses who are pursuing an advanced nursing degree (Doctor of Nursing Practice or Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing), or financial assistance to registered nurses to attend a professional nursing conference.
- Sadaf Abbas is a patient care manager at the West Campus PACU and has been with Texas Children’s since 2016. She is enrolled in the Capella University PhD program and plans to graduate in 2024.
- Nhi Hoang is a staff nurse in The Woodlands PACU. She joined Texas Children’s in 2017 and plans to virtually attend the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Annual Conference this summer.
To view a photo gallery featuring all of our 2021 nursing scholarship winners, view below.
Nursing Excellence Award ceremony
Nursing scholarship winners
