First “Young nurse of the year” chosen

First “Young nurse of the year” chosen

The first ever NZNO Young Nurse of Year, Plunket nurse Katrina Coleman was honoured this evening at an awards dinner in Wellington.

Waikanae-based Katrina says, “I’m blown away – it’s such an honour. My friends and family are my number one support; they always think you’re the best of the best anyway, but this is hugely pride-evoking. The award is nice because it makes missing out on family functions and catching up with friends only occasionally all for something.”

The award is for a nurse under 30 who goes the extra mile and demonstrates exceptional commitment to patients and her profession. This prestigious award acknowledges the hard work and commitment of Katrina Coleman, but behind the award is NZNO’s desire to publically support all young nurses and help keep them in the profession and in New Zealand.

The idea of the Young nurse of the year award is the brainchild of a project team made up of nurses aged under 30 who were tasked with identifying ways NZNO could support younger nurses in the workplace.

Along with a website, Facebook page and blog the group identified that an award would give their peers and colleagues a way to recognise the contribution young nurses make to their profession, patients and workplace.

The award was presented by Madeleine O’Connor, a member of the young nurses group from Nelson.

Madeleine says, “It was really heartening hearing the great work that young nurses around the country are doing and how much their colleagues appreciate them. Katrina stood out because of the work she has done in her community that goes above and beyond her everyday work. She has developed a range of projects working across agencies that have resulted in demonstrable improvements in the health outcomes of community members. She is well-liked and respected by clients and colleagues and also volunteers her own time in the Newtown community.”

“We are so excited to be presenting this award for the first time. Young nurses are our future and deserve the recognition of their peers, colleagues and the public,” Madeleine says.

NZNO would like to thank the Centre for Post Graduate Nursing Studies at Otago University Christchurch for their support of the awards.

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