Nurse of the Year to be named this week

THE NEW Nurse of the Year is to be announced this week.

Six finalists are vying for the coveted trophy and cash prize of $130,000 from LASCO. The first and second runners-up will receive trophies and cash prises of $80,000 and $50,000, respectively.

LASCO will also be providing $20,000 and an award to the Student Nurse of the Year.

The Nurse of the Year programme represents a partnership between LASCO and the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ). It recognises and rewards nurses who give outstanding service in the profession and in community development.

Candice Thompson, nursing administrator ward sister at the accident and emergency department at the Spanish Town Hospital, is the outgoing LASCO/NAJ Nurse of the Year.

The finalists in the 2011/2012 Nurse of the Year are:

• Claudine Douglas: registered nurse midwife, nursing administrator at the Linstead Hospital.
• Sophia James: registered nurse midwife, psychiatric nurse, and acting ward manager, Kingston Public Hospital.
• Tamar McFarlane: registered nurse at the Cornwall Regional Hospital.
• Marleen Stephenson: public health nurse, registered nurse midwife, nursing administrator, Linstead Health Centre.
• Sophia Thomas-Daley: registered nurse and certified operating theatre nurse, Kingston Public Hospital.
• Neisha Vanhorne: registered nurse midwife, University Hospital of the West Indies

The winner will be announced on Saturday, July 23 at the National Nurse of the Year Awards Ceremony, Terra Nova hotel, which marks the culmination of National Nurses Week.

Anthonette Patterson, NAJ president, says nurses should view National Nurses Week as another high point in the nursing journey.

"It's indeed a profound pleasure to be your president at this time and so I want to pause to express my utmost appreciation for your hard work and dedication in providing service to our country," the NAJ president assures nurses.