Excellence in Nursing Awards 2020

In collaboration with the Wisconsin Nurses Association, Milwaukee Magazine has launched its very first Excellence in Nursing Awards. These awards will recognize the area's top nurses in a variety of specialties who have made extraordinary contributions to healthcare. Nominations will be collected by peers, and honorees will be selected by a panel of nursing professionals and educators from the Wisconsin Nurses Association.

If you are a qualified healthcare professional, we invite you to nominate a nurse in one of the following categories. The deadline to nominate a nurse is Sept. 13 at 11:59 p.m.

  • Advanced Practitioner: An advanced practice nurse role is one of the following Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN):  Certified Nurse Midwife, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Clinical Nurse Specialist or Nurse Practitioner.  This award recognizes an APRN who demonstrates excellence in practice and patient outcomes, advocacy for their patient, advances their practice using innovative and unique approaches to the provision of nursing in their practice setting, provides a positive impact to their colleagues and demonstrates support of autonomous practice in the workplace and legislative bodies.
  • Leadership/Executive:  Nurse Leaders demonstrate and fosters the integration of nursing knowledge, leadership development, application of business principles, advocates for consistent high quality evidence-based nursing practice, provides a formal structure for nurse input utilizing data to improve the practice environment, supports nurse autonomy, team focused and ethical nursing care.
  • Academic:  Nurse educators demonstrate excellence in nursing education utilizing creative, innovative learning methods that engages nursing students to become proficient at understanding and application of theory/research base for nursing curricula and nursing practice. This nurse educator has influenced scholarly development in nursing education, practice, and/or research through effects of teaching and impacts the professional practice of nursing and the public’s image of nursing through excellence of teaching.
  • Researcher: Nurse researchers demonstrate the identification of patient, nurse, workplace conditions/factors, and apply the research process to improve the clinical care provided to patients by nurses and others.
  • Clinician: The clinician utilizes evidence-based practice to deliver care directly to the patient, engages the patient and family in care decisions, is a patient advocate, and participates in meetings that address improving the patient care environment and is committed to continued learning.
  • Community:  Nurses working in the community can be public health, school nurses, home health, correctional health, or community liaison.  The nurse demonstrates knowledge of the overall health of the population, the impact of health disparities, and incorporates this knowledge into the plan of care for the individual.
  • Emerging Leader: An emerging is a nurse who has been practicing as a nurse for five years or less who demonstrates application of high standards of nursing practice, ethical practice, continued learning, positive relationships with their colleagues, actively participates in formal committees, and unit-based meetings. 
  • Student Nurse:  The pre-licensed RN nursing student will be graduating within the year and demonstrates leadership through the following: Prepare, motivate, and impact other students as leaders. The student should participate in community activities and giving back to others. They should have actively mentored fellow students and set a healthy example to promote a healthy lifestyle. They made a significant contribution to the overall excellence of their school and demonstrate a clear sense of direction for their future nursing careers.
  • COVID-19 Hero: This registered nurse provides exemplary direct patient care in a COVID-19 environment.  This individual registered nurse has demonstrated the highest standards of ethics, leadership, nurse advocacy in his/her daily nursing practice in the care of this specific population in any setting. The nurse also demonstrates wellness and self-care practices.