Marquette General nurses win state awards

Duke LifePoint ( DLP) Marquette General Hospital registered nurse Carolyn Hietamaki has received the Michigan Nurses Association’s highest labor award at the organization’s convention.

In a press release from the Michigan Nurses Association, it was noted that Hietamaki, President of the RN Staff Council at DLP MGH, was named the winner of the Cheryl L. Johnson, RN Nurse Labor Leader of the Year award as well as being elected to another term as Treasurer on MNA’s Board of Directors. MNA, Michigan’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses, represents the 410 RNs at Marquette General Hospital.

The Cheryl L. Johnson Nurse Labor Leader of the Year Award was created in 2008 to honor the life and legacy of the former MNA leader. The award honors those who follow in Johnson’s footsteps as a champion of nursing issues. Fellow nurses who nominated Hietamaki for this award noted her extensive expertise, her tireless advocacy for all the nurses at Marquette General and her passion and leadership when it comes to putting patient care first.

As MNA Treasurer, Hietamaki oversees the financial health of the nearly 11,000-member statewide organization of registered nurses.

Other DLP MGH nurses also won high honors at the convention:

…Kris Michaelson, RN, received a Labor Leader of the Year Award. According to the MNA, recipients of this award demonstrate dedication to their health care field through their commitment to excellence in their individual practice; actively participate in nursing programs, committees and/or projects that promote the mission of the Michigan Nurses Association; and function as an active leader within their local staff council. Michaelson’s nominators pointed to her willingness to always go above and beyond and her role in helping secure a strong contract this year that values nurses, protects patients and helps ensure the best care possible for the community.

…DLP MGH RN Carol Buentello, a nurse practitioner, was honored with an Excellence in Nursing Practice Award. Recipients of this award demonstrate excellence in their practice, commitment to the profession, patient advocacy, evidence-based nursing practice, leadership abilities in nursing practice and promotion of effective interdisciplinary collaboration. In nominating her for this award, Buentello’s peers noted her unparalleled skills and in-depth knowledge as a NICU nurse, her generosity in teaching others and her fierce advocacy for her tiny patients.

…DLP MGH RN Katie Menard received a Nursing Research Award from the Michigan Nurses Foundation at the convention. Menard is an assistant professor in nursing at Northern Michigan University and a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she is pursuing a study focused on collegiality among nurses in the hospital environment. She is a nationally certified critical care nurse and the current president of the Upper Peninsula chapter of the American Association of Critical Care nurses, among other affiliations.