ROCK SPRINGS — Several Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County registered nurses were honored with statewide awards and nominations during the Wyoming Nurses Association Convention in Casper, Sept. 11-12.
Andrea Meyers, a nurse on the medical/surgical floor received the WNA Face of Our Future Nurses Award. Tiffany Uranker, Emergency Department Director, and Megan Tozzi, House Supervisor, received the WNA Collaborative Practice Award. Megan Gilbert, in Nursing Informatics, was nominated for the Nursing Excellence in the Workplace Award.
“These nurses are seeking and implementing ways to better meet the needs of our community through innovative ideas, hard work, and collaboration with their teams,” said Ann Clevenger, MHSC Chief Nursing Officer. “What they are doing is amazing.”
Meyers received the WNA Face of Our Future Nurses Award. This award is given to one nurse from each Wyoming Region who has been licensed as a registered nurse for five years or less. The nominee will have become known during their time in practice since graduation for innovative practice, service in the community, or a specific program that serves the public in the area where they practice.
“What truly sets Andrea apart is her initiative in addressing a critical need within our hospital: specialized wound care,” according to her nomination letter. “Recognizing the gap in services, Andrea pursued advanced training through a three-day intensive wound care course at the University of Utah, followed by the successful completion of an online wound care certification program. Armed with this knowledge, she has partnered with the hospital’s Education Department to establish a dedicated wound care team. This initiative will significantly enhance patient outcomes and elevate the standard of care in our community.”
Uranker and Tozzi received the WNA Collaborative Practice Award. The award identifies a health system or individual hospital for a collaborative project which shows an interdisciplinary approach to best practices resulting in improved patient outcomes or cost savings.
“Their unwavering dedication, resilience, and visionary leadership have not only revitalized a critical service at MHSC, but have also demonstrated the power of interdisciplinary collaboration in improving patient care and community outcomes,” according to their nomination letter.
“They began their journey in forensic nursing in 2012, completing their Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training while maintaining full-time roles in the Emergency Department. SANE nursing is a highly specialized and emotionally demanding field that requires exceptional clinical skills, compassion, and mental fortitude. Despite the challenges, including the unprecedented strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, they remained the sole SANE providers at MHSC, ensuring that survivors of sexual assault continued to receive expert, trauma-informed care.
“As staffing shortages and high turnover among travel nurses made it increasingly difficult to train new SANE nurses, the MHSC SANE program faced the risk of dissolution. Yet, their commitment never wavered. Recognizing the critical need for this service in our community, they took the initiative, partnering with the Wyoming Center for Nursing and the Colorado Center for Nursing to secure grant funding for SANE training. Thanks to their efforts, six MHSC nurses initially completed SANE training.”
Gilbert was nominated for the Excellence in the Workplace Award. This award is conferred on a registered nurse who has developed an innovative and unique approach to nursing theory and knowledge in any practice setting. They are recognized as a role model of consistent high-quality nursing practices. This nurse will have created an environment of professional autonomy and control over their nursing practice.
“Megan played a pivotal role in MHSC’s recent implementation of the Cerner EMR system and our transition to Critical Access Hospital status,” according to her nomination letter. “Her leadership and expertise ensured a smooth transition, minimizing disruptions and maximizing staff readiness.”
“In addition to her full-time informatics responsibilities and 24-hour on-call duties, Megan has recently completed training as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and is currently orienting to this critical role.”
