2022 Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Nursing Highlights
Nurses Advocate for Passage of the Epilepsy or Seizure Disorder Law
In March 2022, the government of the state of Florida passed into law important legislation to protect children with epilepsy and other seizure disorders. Patricia Dean, APRN, MSN, Epilepsy Program Specialist with the Epilepsy Center at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, was pivotal in its passage and approval.
The new law requires that state schools provide epilepsy or seizure disorder care to students in need. Schools must create an individualized seizure action plan for each affected child to ensure they receive health care at school in the event of a seizure occurring.
Dean was a key contributor to this important new law in several ways. First, she helped craft the bill along with the staff of Epilepsy Alliance Florida, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocacy and care for individuals with epilepsy. While the bill was being discussed by the Florida Legislature, she also traveled to Tallahassee along with several children and their families to advocate for its passage. Children with epilepsy will now be safer at Florida schools thanks to the tireless efforts of Dean and her colleagues.
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Completes New Study Revising the Humpty Dumpty Fall Scale Tool
The Humpty Dumpty Fall Scale is a tool that is widely used by hospitals across the nation and globally to help healthcare professionals identify children who may be at a greater risk of experiencing a fall. The Humpty Dumpty Fall Scale was originally created and developed at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. In 2022, the nurses at Nicklaus Children’s conducted a research study to identify possible updates to the scale to help provide a safer hospital environment for children. The results of their research and the proposed updated parameters of the Humpty Dumpty Fall Scale were published in the November-December 2022 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Nursing.
Ana Tyrkala Honored as a 2023 Nurses of Note Award Recipient
Each year, PerfectServe, a provider of cloud-based clinical collaboration and provider scheduling solutions, honors a select group of nurses around the country with their Nurses of Note awards program. The program is intended to honor nurses whose dedication, resilience and devotion inspire others amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
This year, one of Nicklaus Children’s own, Ana Tyrkala, MSN, RN, CPN, a Clinical Practice Specialist, received this distinct honor and was one of only about 130 nurses around the country to be awarded. The award is a tribute to the integrity, perseverance and compassion that Tyrkala exhibits each day as she meets the needs of patients and their families, just as she has during her two decades of service at NCH.
Dr. Sarik Receives a FONL Excellence in Nursing Research Award
The Florida Organization for Nursing Leadership bestows the Excellence in Nursing Research award to nurses who go above and beyond in their dedication to sharing their expertise and knowledge in nursing research and scholarship. In November 2022, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Danielle Altares Sarik PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, received this award due to her active research to improve pediatric transition of care, as well as her collaborations with the Institute of Pediatric Nursing and the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. Congratulations to Dr. Sarik for this prestigious honor.
Solfia Torre Receives the Jackie Gonzalez Legacy Award
Jackie Gonzalez was the Chief Nursing Officer of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for 22 years, and worked in other capacities at the hospital for a total of 38 years. During her tenure, she exemplified dedication to professionalism, patient-centeredness, and nursing advancement. She led the organization to four Magnet designations and earned the coveted Magnet prize in 2015, which was a first for a pediatric hospital at the time.
Upon her retirement in 2020, her colleagues wanted to create an annual award in her honor. The intent of the award was to recognize an individual who best exemplified the legacy of Gonzalez. In 2021, a workgroup was formed that consisted of several hospital and nursing leaders. This group was tasked with defining award criteria, nomination processes, and selection processes.
Ultimately, the approved criteria for receiving the Jackie Gonzalez Legacy Award was a nurse who demonstrates excellence in mentorship of their peers, scholarship through continuous learning, vision for the future of the hospital, and patient safety. The award recipient must also exemplify the four pillars and priorities of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital: Amazing patient care, operational excellence, building the future and a focus on us.
With the criteria for the award approved, the Nursing Shared Leadership Council received nominations with the names removed, so the recipient was selected based solely on their contributions. Staff nurse Solfia Torre was selected as the 2022 Jackie Gonzalez Legacy Award recipient, and she was honored at an awards ceremony in October 2022 as part of the Pediatric Nurses Week Celebration.
Solfia’s achievement was also highlighted in the hospital newsletter. Nursing leadership is optimistic that this award will be something that nurses strive for each year and will further drive Nicklaus Children’s devotion to amazing care.