Nurses Month Essay Contest Winners Announced

Our Shriners Children’s Nurses Make a Difference

As part of Shriners Children’s Nurses Month celebration in May, our nurses were invited to participate in our first system-wide Nurses Month Essay Contest. The contest encouraged our nurses to reflect on their nursing career, and share their insights on how Shriners Children’s nurses make a difference.

Shriners Children’s believes the perspectives of our nurses are invaluable, and that they can inspire and educate others in the nursing community. Our nurses’ dedication to the patients and mission of Shriners Children’s is truly admirable. We are proud to have such an exceptional nursing team.

About the Nursing Essay Contest

The Shriners Children’s Nurses Month Essay Contest was open to registered nurses at all of our care sites in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and those at our corporate headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

Nurses were asked: “What are the three most essential qualities for a Shriners Children’s nurse to possess and how have you worked to cultivate these qualities in yourself?”

We received many award-worthy submissions, but we had to narrow it to three winners. The winning essays each touched on what one winner identified as the three central pillars of nursing: competence, compassion and collaboration.

Congratulations to Our Winners:

• Angelica Pinto, RN, Shriners Children's Mexico
• Vanessa D’Aquila, MSc(A)N, Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada
• Sally Martens, Ph.D., FNP-C, Shriners Children’s Lexington

Each has won an expenses-paid trip to a professional conference: Martens is attending the Magnet/Pathway to Excellence Conference in Chicago in October; D’Aquila is going to The International Symposium on Pediatric Pain in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the end of September; and Pinto will attend the Mexican Orthopedic Society Congress in Puerto Vallarta in November.

Excerpts From the Winning Essays:

“In the beginning of my journey as a nursing student, it was evident from my very first day on the burn unit that Shriners nurses are special. The outstanding personal integrity, combined with the passion that the Shriners nurses demonstrated for their patients, was inspiring.”

– Sally Martens, Shriners Children’s Lexington

“One of the ways I strive to be helpful is by dedicating time to listen to my patients and their families. By doing so, I can better understand their needs and concerns, and address them in a compassionate and effective manner.”

– Angelica Pinto, Shriners Hospitals for Children Mexico

“A Shriners nurse must encourage collaboration with the interdisciplinary team and advocate for our patients and their families to be included as valuable members. By asking what are their goals and needs, we can provide them with helpful and tailored resources to build a comprehensive care plan.”

– Vanessa D’Aquila, Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada

Read the full essays below:

Shriners Children's Nurses: Passion, Integrity and Innovation, by Sally Martens

Shriners Children’s Nurses: Kindness Makes a Difference, by Angelica Pinto

Shriners Children's Nurses: The Three C’s to Care, by Vanessa D'Aquila