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2026 UW Health Nursing Excellence Awards

2026 UW Health Nursing Excellence Awards

Each year, we look forward to honoring our Nursing Excellence Award recipients. These awards are extra special because the nominations come from fellow UW Health employees who are so impressed by their colleagues, they want the rest of the world to know just how amazing they are and how much they contribute to remarkable health care.

Congratulations to our 2026 honorees and nominees. Hear from each award recipient below.

Meet our 2026 Nursing Excellence Award recipients

Dayjah Reynolds, CNA
East Madison Hospital,
3rd Floor Inpatient Unit
Support Staff: Clinical

Siddharth Desai,
Health Unit Coordinator

Inpatient Psychiatry, University Hospital
Support Staff: Non-clinical

Zoe Sumnicht, RN
Chemotherapy Clinic, University Hospital
Rising Star

Allie Carroll, BSN, RN
Pediatrics, 20 S Park Clinic
Clinical Nurse: Primary Care

Katrina Becker, BSN, RN
Plastic Surgery, Deming Way Clinic
Clinical Nurse: Specialty Care

Madison Simpson, BSN, RN
Integrated Care Programs, 1102 S Park St Clinic
Clinical Nurse: Patient & Care Coordination

Mara Pailing, BSN, RN, CCRN, NCCN
Neonatal ICU, American Family Children’s Hospital
Clinical Nurse: Pediatrics

Danielle Schuetter, RN
Inpatient Psychiatry, University Hospital
Clinical Nurse: General & Intermediate Care

Christi Goettsche, BSN, RN, TCRN
Neurosurgery ICU, University Hospital
Clinical Nurse: Intensive Care Units

Taylor Manson, BSN, RN
Emergency Medicine, University Hospital
Clinical Nurse: Emergency Services

Steph Prahl, BSN, RN, CST, CNOR
Operating Room, University Hospital
Clinical Nurse: Surgical & Procedural Services

Asami Sakai, BSN, RN
Universal Care Unit, American Family Children’s Hospital
Preceptor/Mentor

Andrea Leider, BSN, RN, OCN
Chemotherapy Services, University Hospital
Leadership and Advanced Practice

Nursing Excellence Award nominees

UW Health recognizes all nominees for their valued contributions to professional nursing practice and patient care.

Jennifer Adams
Diane Aide
Heather Altergott-Josheff
Danny Amundson
Rachel Anderson
Shelly Andrew
Toni Antonie
Mary Jo Arcand
Michelle Armstrong
Lauren Batcher
Rebecca Bauer
Katrina Becker
Topher Belanger
Tshering Bhutia
Morgan Biba
Angie Bindl
Abby Bird
Madeleine Bizjak
Stacy Bong
Peter Borkowski
Jessica Boucher
Angela Bowers
Brittni Branton
Becky Briggs
Nicole Brisky
Colleen Brisky
Grace Brunkow
Louisa Budreau
Allison Busch
Whitney Buss
Brooke Camp
Ellen Campbell
Allie Carroll
Alexandria Chitek
Rory Christensen
Nina Clark
Jon Coates
Lindsay Collins
Kamilee Conaway
Karin Conklin
Megan Cooper
Chad Courtney
Kira Debels
Ariel Demont
Lindsay Derksen
Siddharth Desai
Laura Dischler
Nenette Divinagracia
Sarah Doerr
Angela Dotson
Kaleena Eck
Dani Edwards
Hailey Erdmann
Misty Feller
Amy Fink
Sally Flottmeyer
Bob Foster
Nate Gabower
Lacey Galen
Hannah Garippo
Molly Gerhardt
Courtney Gerharz
Andrea Geurin
Michelle Goerks-Dees
Christi Goettsche
Susan Gotchy
Kim Greunke
Emily Gulczynski
Jennifer Hackenmiller
Adrienne Halma
Jennifer Harmelink
Crystal Hartmann
Miriam Hefty
Anne Helke
Rebecca Hellenbrand
Zachary Hendrickson
Jodi Hinderliter
Jenny Hobson
Roxanne Hoppe
Anne Iverson
Corynn Jansen
Payton Jenks-Recker
Abby Jochimsen
Stephony Johnson
Trevor Johnson
Beth Johnson
Jeanie Jundt
Kiefer Jundt
Evelyn Kahl
Annamarie Kane
Heidi Kassebaum
Shaun Kelso
Laras Kettner
Dawn Klecker
Stephanie Kleinschmidt
Gwen Klinkner
Tina Kraft
Nick Kraus
Erin Krause
Nancy Krohn-Steinhoff
Katie Kueffer
Jeremy Kulis
Jessica Langston Petty
Shanee Lantta
Karlee Latka
Stephanie Le
Sam Lehnert
Andrea Leider
Hayley Lindsey
Jennifer Liter
Sharon Little
Morgan Loewenhagen
Ann Lokken
Laura Lopez Vance
Katie Lowden
Kylee Lund
Maipa Ly
Elijah Lynch
Becca Lyons
Jaeca Malacara
Marcia Malin
Taylor Manson
Julia Marquardt
Terri Marsh Gour
Stephanie Martin
Ashli Martin
Cinnamon Mayoh
Melanie McCauley
Ashley McCullough
Emily McGuigan
Karen McKenzie-Butler
Lucille McLean
Carrie Meekma
Katie Meicher
Trevor Mellenberger
Ashley Merkes
Mark Meske
Dallas Miller
Ia Moua
Lisa Moyer
Janessa Muchow
Lisa Nachreiner
Julia Naka
Tiffany Nelsen
Niki Nofsinger
Myra Normington
Shelby Noskowiak
Nate Olejniczak
Jenny Olig
Alisha Olsen
Courtney Olson
Katelyn Ontiveros
Olivia Osinski
Maria Dolores Pagas
Mara Pailing
Hallie Pelaez
Stephanie Peterson
Ruth Peterson
Jennifer Pogoy
Kaarina Ponce
Cordell Powless
Steph Prahl
Anahi Ramirez-Velasco
Juliana Ramos
Pete Rankin
Janielle Raven
Lauren Reible
Dawn Rexroat
Dayjah Reynolds
Cheyenne Rickerman
Emily Ries
Isabella Rosales
Asami Sakai
Abby Sams
Daro Sarr
Brittni Sauer
Jennifer Scace
Rebecca (Becky) Schachter
Katie Schafer
Hailey Schiro
Courtney Schmid
Emily Schmidt
Elizabeth Schmidt
Rachel Schmitt
Sara Schoen
Danielle Schuetter
Rebecca Schutte
Abigayle Schwenn
Gladys Serrano-Martinez
Kat Shaughnessy
Janet Shimniok
Ana Sidel
Shari Signer
Andrea Simons
Madison Simpson
Karen Slaybaugh
Audrey Smiley
Callen Smith
Kalyn Sonday
Nicole Stocker
Debra Strode
Kristal Summerton
Zoe Sumnicht
Heather Swan
Steph Tara
Rebecca Thelen
Alison Timlin
Barb Tincknell
Sharla Villalpando
Jessica Viste
Ashley Vlack
Deborah Volgarino
Jaquelene Wagner
Rachel Walts
Lisa Wannebo
Nicole Wayman
Regan Wiegel
Amanda Winge
Hannah Winters
Lindsey Woodstock
Tracey Yang
Frank Yokosh
Kayla Zubke

Advancing DNP student project experiences and organizational strategy

The academic-practice partnership between UW Health and the UW–Madison School of Nursing has elevated nursing education and health care outcomes.

The strategic partnership has enhanced quality and sustainability of Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects, strengthened students’ competence and readiness, and advanced organizational initiatives through student-led projects.

This work is described in a recently published article in Nurse Leader titled, “Leveraging an Academic Practice Partnership to Advance Organizational Goals with High Quality Doctorate Nursing Practice Projects.” This article can be accessed here.

Below is a poster presented at the 2025 ANCC Magnet and Pathway Conference that focused on elevating DNP student project experiences and creating an infrastructure to consistently advance high-quality system-level strategy, outcomes and priorities within the health care system.

Advancing DNP Student Project Experiences and Organizational Strategy
(Click the image to view larger version)

Resources

Learn more about conducting a nursing student project or rotations

Contacts

Sarah Brzozowski
UW Health Director, Magnet and Nursing Excellence
sbrzozowski@uwhealth.org

Pamela Blabaum
UW Health Nursing Program Coordinator – System Strategy
pblabaum@uwhealth.org

2025 UW Health Nursing Excellence Awards

Each year, we look forward to honoring our Nursing Excellence Award recipients. These awards are extra special because the nominations come from fellow UW Health employees who are so impressed by their colleagues, they want the rest of the world to know just how amazing they are and how much they contribute to remarkable health care.

Congratulations to our 2025 honorees and nominees. Hear from each award recipient below.

Meet our 2025 Nursing Excellence Award recipients

Portrait of Whitney Beaton, MSN, RN
Whitney Beaton, MSN, RN
Clinical Nurse Specialist, American Family Children’s Hospital
Leadership and Advanced Practice
Portrait of Lindsey Brehm, BSN, RN
Lindsey Brehm, BSN, RN
UW Health Fertility Care
Clinical Nurse: Patient & Care Coordination
Portrait of Kayli Gilsdorf, BSN, RN
Kayli Gilsdorf, BSN, RN
Pediatric Universal Care Unit, American Family Children’s Hospital
Clinical Nurse: Pediatrics
Portrait of Karlie Klossner, BSN, RN
Karlie Klossner, BSN, RN
Operating Room, University Hospital
Clinical Nurse: Surgical & Procedural Services
Portrait of Luke Markus, BSN, RN
Luke Markus, BSN, RN
Burn Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital
Clinical Nurse: Intensive Care Units
Portrait of Karen Meudt, Patient scheduling representative
Karen Meudt, Patient scheduling representative
UW Health Belleville Clinic
Support staff: Non-clinical
Portrait of Caylin Overfield, BSN, RN
Caylin Overfield, BSN, RN
Pediatric Universal Care Unit, American Family Children’s Hospital
Preceptor/Mentor
Portrait of Audrey Palmer, BSN, RN
Audrey Palmer, BSN, RN
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, American Family Children’s Hospital
Rising Star
Portrait of Eric Schiller, BSN, RN
Eric Schiller, BSN, RN
Gynecology, Urology, Plastics and ENT Unit, University Hospital
Clinical Nurse: General & Intermediate Care
Portrait of Katie Sullenbrand, MSN, RN
Katie Sullenbrand, MSN, RN
UW Health Line
Clinical Nurse: Primary Care
Portrait of Donna Thompson, CNA
Donna Thompson, CNA
Cardiology Unit, University Hospital
Support Staff: Clinical
Portrait of Scott Vandenberg, BSN, RN
Scott Vandenberg, BSN, RN
Oncology Nurse Navigation, University Hospital
Clinical Nurse: Specialty Care
Portrait of Sara Westra, BSN, RN
Sara Westra, BSN, RN
Emergency Medicine
Clinical Nurse: Emergency Services

Nursing Excellence Award nominees

UW Health recognizes all nominees for their valued contributions to professional nursing practice and patient care.

Christine Abong
Kim Adler
Kjerstine Adler
Adam Albright
Keare Armenta
Brent Ashley
Darcy Aviles
Manuel Barrera-Skibinski
Whitney Beaton
Taylor Behnke Ripp
Jessie Belanger
Amy Benesh
Amy Beutel
Tshering Bhutia
Angela Blizard
Michael Bloyer
Mary Blum
Luke Bodnar
Charles Bolduc
Courtney Botteron
Sara Bradley
Brittni Branton
Lindsey Brehm
Celeste Brenner
Heidi Brown
Becky Buck
Kimberly Bujnowski
Miranda Caldwell
Brittany Campbell
Jacqueline Carroll
Heather Check
Rory Christensen
Peter Churchill
Jane Clarke
Lydia Collins
Camille Conaway
Josh Cook
Alison Dailing
Ashley Daskam
Matayla De Bruin
Samantha Dees
Megan Dethlefs
Katelyn Durnil
Alexandrea Elbe
Treylor Elder
Alicia Emholtz
Daniela Espinosa-Pena
Brandi Eyler
Anthony Filter
Madeline Flanagan
Jake Forsythe
Sarah Gage
Madelyn Garbo
Nikki Gardner
Courtney Gerharz
Lauren Gilbertson
Kayli Gilsdorf
Megan Goetz
Katherine Grant
Alex Gretkowski
Tricia Griffiths
Katelyn Grout
Jennifer Hackenmiller
Jessica Hammond
Ana Haning
Melanie Hankes
Jonathon Hansen
Nicole Hansen
Shannon Hattenhauer
Cassandra Hetzel
Jenny Hobson
Marie Hogan
Margaret Holan
Tracy Holman
Meghan Holum
Hailly Hoopes
Staci Hubbard
Benito Huesca
Karl Hummel
Kynzie Huonker
Adrienne Hurless
Heather Jaeger
Jay James
Brittni Jegerlehner
Madeline Judd
Trisca Ketelboeter
Shelly Key
McKenzie Klipp
Karlie Klossner
Amanda Kopp
Erin Krause
Alicia Kuester
Sarah Langland
Jody Lease
Andrea Leider
Hayley Lindsey
Jenny Liter
LaChanna Magli
Don Mai
Elise Mallin
Luke Markus
Ashli Martin
Tessa Martin
Maria Martinez
Joanne Martinez
Melanie McCauley
Emily McGrath
Wendy McKnight
Joseph Meister
Morgan Merline
Susan Mertins
Karen Meudt
Laurel Mitmoen
Kiana Montalvo
Susan Mooney
Wendy Myers
Nikki Nofsinger
Jessi Nonn
Ashley Oglesby
Kayla Olson
Skylar Olson
Travis Osbourne
Jenni Osorio
Caylin Overfield
Maria Dolores Pagas
Audrey Palmer
Morgan Pautz
Abigayle Peeler
Joanna Penniston
Stephanie Peterson
Brittany Pittz
Jessica Porter
Abby Poss
Charity Pozdol
Steph Prahl
Maria Pulver
Brianna Ramirez
Brittani Reinhardt
Heather Rhynes
Carmeletta Richardson
Elizabeth Ritter
Emily Rizzo
Vicente Rodriguez
Luis Gollolarte Rosas
Clarissa Rueckert
Jo Ruegsegger
Heather Ruhland
Lauren Runde
Nancie Sanford
Tina Sanger
Jennifer Scace
Jordyn Schemenauer
Alaina Schepp
Eric Schiller
Hailey Schiro
Cassie Schmidt
Sheridan Schmitt
Kimberly Schoepp
Chrystina Schroeder
Rebecca Schultz
Megan Schulz
Lisa Schwantes
Ievgeniia Sherman
Erin Shives
Ali Skrobis
Jeremy Small
Tana Smith
Kate Sobtzak
Alexis Spinato
Jennifer Spredemann
Justin Springer
Betty Jo Sroda
Brandi Statz
Lindsey Stiener
Amy Stocklein
Maria Strommen
Katie Sullenbrand
Vince Susa
Dominica Swartz
Pang Sua Thao
Donna Thompson
Lillian Thompson
Denise Treptow-Herlebaus
Bethany Turck
Christy Tyler
Jennifer Van Doorn
Aaron Van Lieshout
Brianna VanBogaert
Scott Vandenberg
Jennifer Vander Zanden
Laney Vernon
Kelly Vial
Cate Virnich
Loree Von Ruden
Natalee Walters
Tsering Wangmo
Taylor Warosh
Carly Weinberger
Sara Westra
Shelley Whitmus
Dre Williams Sr
Hannah Winters
Meag Woestman
Kara Yaeger
Brittany Yang
Renee Young
Kayla Zubke

Rapid improvement event empowers frontline staff

With a record volume of patients being seen across all emergency departments (EDs), UW Health is continuously looking for ways to ensure patients receive safe and timely care. At University Hospital, a cross-functional group of ED team members partnered with Organizational Improvement to conduct a three-day rapid improvement event (RIE) focusing on the safe, timely assessment and rapid treatment (CareSTART) area of the ED. 

With CareSTART, a nurse, physician, advance practice provider and ED tech rapidly assess patients to initiate care even before they can be placed in an ED treatment room. 

The goal of the rapid improvement event was to gain efficiency, decrease time from patient arrival to initiation of care and create a more sustainable process for staff. The team gathered data before the event to have a good understanding of current challenges and allow them to quickly begin generating ideas for change on the first day of the event.

Ray Kline, BSN, RN, is one of the emergency department nurses who participated.

“As part of the preparation weeks ahead of the event, observers tracked my movements and then again studied my processes during the event,” Ray said.

Staff were timed performing tasks by observers with stop watches. “One of the biggest things we found was how much energy and time was wasted looking for medications and supplies,” said April Wilson, RN, nurse manager.

On the second day of the event the team began implementing tests of change and deciding whether to adopt, adapt or abandon each change. They brainstormed 30 improvement ideas — 20 were tested and eight ideas were implemented.

Day 3 of the event was used for final testing of changes and development of a sustainment plan.

Some changes implemented include reassigning tasks to a different team member, performing tasks in a different order, relocating frequently used supplies and equipment and updating the stocked medications in the CareSTART Omnicell (automated dispensing). These changes addressed different types of waste in the process, including extra time members spent searching for supplies as well as unnecessary waiting and transport of materials from one place to another. 

Eliminating the unnecessary activities saved a significant amount of time — 2 minutes per patient by standardizing supplies and three minutes per patient by standardizing available medications. A total of six hours per day of non-value-added activity was eliminated. 

“One of the greatest benefits of this rapid improvement event is how it empowers frontline staff, who are most familiar with the work, how to identify and implement changes. They choose the things to try,” said Jen Hankwitz, Director of Emergency Services. 

Ray said the impact of the event goes beyond fixing the initial problem. “We’re familiar with the process now which will hopefully more easily help us solve problems down the road,” he said.

A cross-functional group in the emergency department at University Hospital took part in a rapid improvement event focusing on safe, timely assessment and rapid treatment (CareSTART), to gain efficiency, decrease time from patient arrival to initiation of care, and create a more sustainable process.


Check out more stories featuring the great work of our nurses in the Nursing Year in Review 2023 (pdf).


Helping new nurses build skills and confidence

To better meet the needs of our newest nurses in a post-pandemic world, nursing leadership made important changes to the UW Health Nurse Residency Program and Nurse Externship Program.

Nurse Residency Program

UW Health implemented the Vizient/American Association of Colleges of Nursing Nurse Residency Program for inpatient care in 2004 and added a nurse residency for ambulatory care in 2021. Through the residency program, newly hired nurses train for 12 months alongside experienced colleagues following graduation from an accredited nursing program.

This intensive training has become even more important in recent years.

“At the time COVID-19 was happening, we thought it was an intense in-the-moment experience,” said Kim McPhee, MS, RN, NPD-BC, who has coordinated the program for 17 years. “We thought we’d return to normal, but what was considered ‘normal’ has changed.”

Graduating nurses are much less confident about their skills and much more anxious. “It’s normal to feel anxious transitioning from student to professional nurse, but we were finding ourselves triaging acute distress situations we had never experienced before,” said Molly Daniels, MSN, RN, CMSRN, nursing education specialist, who supports the inpatient residency and externship programs.

UW Health is one of a handful of organizations in the country to offer a nurse residency for ambulatory care. A special focus on telephone triage training helps build assessment skills and a strong foundation for new nurses who may not always see patients in person. Terri White, RN, MSN, NPD-BC, nurse education specialist, supports the Ambulatory Nurse Residency Program. With feedback from their UW–Madison School of Nursing colleagues and recent graduate nurses, Kim and Molly made changes to the inpatient program to help nurse residents build stronger skills and a community of support. New resident orientation includes more skills-building training and is now offered in longer days, and monthly classes were moved so everyone could meet as one large group. Additionally, the well-being series was expanded and is now included in monthly classes.

In addition to receiving guidance and support from preceptor Carolyn Kerkhof, BSN, RN, Trent Briggs, BSN, RN, nurse resident, has found great value in the enhancements to the UW Health Nurse Residency Program designed to build confidence, skills and resiliency.

Nurse Externship Program

UW Health relaunched the Nurse Externship Program for student nurses in 2022 and made changes to improve the program experience. During the 10-week immersion program, student nurses work alongside an RN clinical coach and perform hands-on patient care in a variety of adult and pediatric inpatient and ambulatory settings. It’s become an important feeder into the nurse residency program and enrollment numbers more than doubled in 2023. New in 2024, UW Health will begin accepting associate degree nursing students who are internal applicants, and program onboarding will be streamlined to account for existing employees moving into the nurse extern role.

The results are positive

Data shows that the Nurse Externship Program has had a positive impact on recruitment.

YearNurse externsNurse residentsNumber of externs hired as nurse residents
202229 inpatient
1 ambulatory
203 inpatient
12 ambulatory
22
202363 inpatient
12 ambulatory
225 inpatient
16 ambulatory
46

The UW Health Nurse Residency Program benchmarks with other Vizient nurse resident programs across the country and our scores from 2023* are above the mean in many areas:

  • UW Health nurse resident retention is 94%, compared to 84.8% nationally
  • Nurse resident transition to practice has shown a consistent improvement in several areas, including comfort with clinical, organization and prioritization skills, as well as overall perception of their transition into a professional nursing role
  • Scores for perceived support from preceptors, nurse resident coordinators, facilitators and nurse resident seminars are above the national mean scores at year-end

* Data represents nurse residents who were hired in 2021 and completed the year-long Nurse Residency Program by December 2022.


Check out more stories featuring the great work of our nurses in the Nursing Year in Review 2023 (pdf).


RN feedback leads to RN satisfaction

Responding to a survey is usually not at the top of anyone’s to-do list, especially for health care professionals who are already busy prioritizing patient care and supporting their teams. But while the task of taking surveys might be inconvenient, the results are essential to the development of well-informed, data-driven decisions and action plans.

RN satisfaction: Why we survey

UW Health Employee Voice Strategy, managed by Human Resources, provides employees with multiple opportunities to give feedback or offer ideas on how to improve the workplace through participation in different surveys (e.g., annual engagement survey, annual diversity, equity and inclusion survey, biannual culture of safety survey).

The RN satisfaction survey provides an opportunity beyond the annual all-employee engagement survey to hear from nurses regarding elements specific to their nursing practice experience, with the goal of identifying opportunities for improving the practice environment for all UW Health nurses. Additionally, data from this survey is required to participate in national benchmarking opportunities and to meet external reporting requirements (e.g., regulatory and Magnet).

Survey vendor comparison

Historically, UW Health nursing in Wisconsin and northern Illinois has used the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) as our RN Satisfaction Survey vendor. The survey market, however, has evolved and there are new vendors available that provide comparable, if not more robust, survey tools and support. Perceptyx is one such vendor that also serves as the preferred vendor for the organization’s employee voice strategy.

In 2023, nursing was presented with an opportunity to pilot the Perceptyx RN Satisfaction Survey in combination with the employee engagement survey from human resources. To ensure the integrity of our RN satisfaction data and compare survey vendors, UW Health nurses in Wisconsin participated in both the Perceptyx and NDNQI RN Satisfaction Surveys in August and October 2023, respectively.

Going forward, we want to ensure UW Health nurses are participating in the surveys that accurately capture their work experiences, provide secure platforms to share their feedback and deliver meaningful results that lead to advancements and improvements in the nurse practice environment. 

High-scoring units

While results from NDNQI and the preferred RN Satisfaction Survey vendor decision are pending (as of December 2023), the August 2023 Perceptyx engagement and RN Satisfaction Survey results highlighted several areas in nursing with outstanding performance.  East Madison Hospital 3rd and 4th floor inpatient units scored higher than average in all nine engagement categories and seven nurse satisfaction domains. Nurses on both units attribute their scores to the hard work their teams have put in over the past few years to build and sustain a culture of teamwork and respect on their units. They’ve created spaces where care team members support each other and feel empowered to do their best work on every shift, every day.

East Madison Hospital 4th floor: A unit transformed

The 2021 RN satisfaction survey results for the 4th floor inpatient unit at East Madison Hospital reflected the reality of a difficult transition as a newly formed unit.

They expanded to support increasing patient volumes while recovering from the effects of the pandemic (e.g., staffing challenges and clinician burnout). There were a lot of challenges to overcome, but the partnership established between Kristen Stine, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, nurse manager and the 4th floor nursing staff has proven effective to building a positive practice environment for nurses.

Over the past two years, the 4th floor unit has implemented several improvement projects to increase nurse input and influence on decisions impacting their work experience. A unit council was formed, a PICK (possible, implement, challenge, kibosh) huddle was established, recognition of team members increased and right-sized staffing allowed the opportunity to address flexible scheduling needs. Scoring 100% in the Engagement Teamwork category and 100% in several questions within the RN Satisfaction RN-to-RN Teamwork and Collaboration and Interprofessional Relationships domains, reflects the impact that shared governance, consistent leadership and quality improvement work have on nurse satisfaction.

East Madison Hospital 3rd floor: A unit empowered to lead

Working on the 3rd floor inpatient unit (5th floor unit at the time) was the first job Kalyn Sonday, BSN, RN, had after graduating from UW–Madison School of Nursing in May 2020.

She is confident that the unit’s results of 100% in the Engagement category of Manager Relationship and 95% in the RN Satisfaction domain of RN-to-RN Teamwork and Collaboration reflect the reality of working on the 3rd floor at East Madison Hospital.

“We’re a close-knit group that gets along,” Kalyn said. “But it’s a choice every day. You have to choose this team every day. This is hard work, but I know every day when I go in that I have this team and they have my back.”

Both Kalyn and her colleague Stephanie Kleinschmidt, BSN, RN, care team leader, are quick to point out that a critical piece of the unit’s success has been the exceptional leadership of their manager, Channa Magli, MSN, RN. Stephanie described her style as “transformational leadership — to a T,” highlighting Channa’s ability to earn the team’s trust and respect by being visible and leading by example, working alongside them in scrubs, stepping in to support a colleague with a difficult patient care situation, keeping the team informed and involved in decisions impacting their unit, and advocating for the team’s needs.

Kalyn Sonday, (left), and her colleague Stephanie Kleinschmidt, (right), care team leader, attribute their unit’s improvement to the exceptional leadership of their manager, Channa Magli, (center), who as Stephanie describes earns the team’s trust and respect by being visible and leading by example.

Seeing Channa’s confidence in doing her work and advocating for her team, empowers those around her to become better nurses and leaders. In 15 years of being an RN, Stephanie said, “I have never been so content and satisfied in my profession.”

The RN Satisfaction Survey is essential to improving and advancing UW Health nursing practice. By keeping it a top priority, we ensure nurses feel empowered in their individual practices and connected to the Nursing Vision to serve as remarkable and trusted national leaders in nursing — every day.


Check out more stories featuring the great work of our nurses in the Nursing Year in Review 2023 (pdf).


Defying the odds: An exemplary ECMO case study

Against the odds, a multidisciplinary team in the emergency department used lifesaving measures to revive a woman who wasn’t breathing when her frantic husband pulled up to the front door of the University Hospital Emergency Department.

“The patient woke up at home that morning with chest pain and shortness of breath, so she and her husband headed to the hospital, but she stopped breathing on the drive here,” said Jenna Meier Payne, BSN, RN, CCRN, clinical nurse specialist.

The team used Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR). ECPR is a combination of CPR and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). ECMO is lifesaving therapy that pulls the patient’s blood out of their body, circulates it though an artificial lung and pushes the oxygenated blood back into the patient.

The case was the most powerful example of the ECPR program since its inception in March 2019, and the impact it had for that patient and her family is what Jenna said is most gratifying for staff. “Clinicians don’t always realize the impact they have, but this is one example of the difference our work can make,” she said.

The use of ECPR at UW Health is getting attention. In 2023, UW Health received the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Award for Excellence in Life Support. The award recognizes ECLS programs worldwide that distinguish themselves by having processes, procedures and systems in place that promote excellence and exceptional care in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

UW Health nurses also shared their work using ECPR at the Wisconsin Emergency Nurses Association conference, further boosting awareness of their efforts using this life-sustaining method.

“Providing education and awareness about ECPR helps make the program successful, because it’s not used every day,” said Jacinda Krueger, RN, Emergency Department Supervisor. “We’re optimistic ECPR will be used to make a difference for many more patients,” she said.


Check out more stories featuring the great work of our nurses in the Nursing Year in Review 2023 (pdf).


Nurses get teen back to living life

Kyleigh Williams (center) found a second family in her nurses who cheered her on through every hurdle during her six-month hospital stay. Left to right: Hanna Kremsreiter, Mary Witte and Lauren Batcher.

When influenza destroyed Kyleigh Willams’ lungs, Med Flight, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and a lung transplant helped keep her alive.

But when you ask her mom, Nikki Williams, what truly saved her daughter, who everyone calls Ky, she credits the American Family Children’s Hospital nurses and other staff who walked with Ky every step of her nearly seven-month journey to get back home.

“Lauren Batcher is amazing,’’ Nikki said of her daughter’s main nurse. “She went above and beyond with Ky. She never took a break when she was there.”

In December 2022, Ky was a 15-year-old student athlete at Clinton High School, who played travel basketball, softball, and was, in the words of her mom, “never sick.” Then Ky came down with influenza A and was soon having so much trouble breathing that her mom drove her to Beloit Memorial Hospital.

“They took a pulse ox on her, and from then, it’s a blur,” Nikki said.

The Beloit team called UW Health Med Flight to take Ky to American Family Children’s Hospital. Nikki and her husband, Jeremy, jumped in the car and beat the helicopter to Madison. After an exam, doctors in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) decided to put Ky on an ECMO machine, which does the work of the heart and lungs so the body can heal.

Except Ky got worse, as the inflammation led to necrotizing pneumonia, and then a bacterial infection and kidney failure. By Christmas, she was on dialysis and a ventilator.

“The hardest part was Christmas. She was just coming to and realizing what was going on, and that things were not getting better,’’ said Lauren Batcher, BSN, RN. She was with the Williams family when they got the somber news that a lung transplant was the best hope.

Nikki reflected on the devastating time. “All I remember is sitting in the room, and the doctor sat and cried with us and mourned,” she said.

Amanda Minnig, RN, BSN, CCRN, pre-transplant coordinator could sympathize.

“This was completely unexpected and not something they ever imagined,” she said. “It’s so rare (to need a transplant) without underlying conditions.”

The team focused on preparing Ky for transplant surgery. Normally, a transplant patient is up and walking, but it took six people just to get Ky to the edge of the bed and onto a “stander” to put weight on her legs.

“She was one of the most deconditioned patients we’ve ever done transplant on,’’ Lauren said. “You have to work your lungs and work your body. We had to really push to get her ready. She got mad at me every day, but she had trust in me.”

To try to lighten the mood, Lauren and Brittani Butler, RRT, ECMO specialist, worked out a TikTok dance to “Wannabe,” by the Spice Girls.

“Ky looked horrified,’’ Lauren said with a laugh.

Following the transplant, the team planned fun distractions: A purple theme for Valentine’s Day, bunny ears at Easter and a “beach day” that involved hauling buckets of sand and water to Ky’s hospital room and batting around beach balls.

The big event was a talent show judged by Ky and won by Kelsey Konz, physical therapist, who played a Morgan Wallen tune on the piano in the hospital lobby.

Night nurse Hanna Kremsreiter, BSN, RN, would bring Ky to the nurse’s station for company as she did charting, and style her hair and do art projects with her. And as winter turned to spring and Ky got stronger, Lauren took Ky on wheelchair outings to the Healing Garden and the University Hospital Gift Shop. Meanwhile, Ky started to work with Mary Witte, BSN, RN, transplant coordinator, on her transition back to home and school.

“I told her, ‘Ky, I’m your new best friend,’ and Lauren was like “What?!,’’ Mary said.

Kidding aside, Mary said, “I credit a lot of Kyleigh’s success to Lauren. She really went above and beyond on the hard days to cheer Kyleigh up and motivate her.”

Ky is now getting back to high school activities, going to the homecoming dance and earning her driver’s license. “For us she was a celebrity patient,’’ Mary said. “But for her, she just wants to get back to being a normal teenager.”

Kyleigh with her parents, Nikki and Jeremy Williams, during her hospital stay in 2023.

Check out more stories featuring the great work of our nurses in the Nursing Year in Review 2023 (pdf).


Pivotal contributions to ambulatory nursing

UW Health ambulatory RNs continue to raise the bar across outpatient settings. They represent the essence of where science meets art — applying their exceptional clinical acumen and innovative approaches to care delivery — while forming meaningful relationships with patients throughout the continuum of care. It’s no wonder their pivotal roles place them among national leaders in the ambulatory practice arena.

Helping shape the future of ambulatory nursing practice

Nurses impact many aspects of health care beyond the act of providing nursing care. The American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) charges ambulatory RNs to work to ensure that their expertise is recognized and incorporated into practice, education, research and leadership.

To keep pace with this charge, the AAACN asked a member task force to revise its position statement titled “The Role of the Ambulatory Care RN in Nursing (pdf),” updating it with the latest evidence in those four areas. Terri White, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, UW Health ambulatory nurse educator, was part of that group and the work that went into finalizing the position statement, which now serves as a foundational document to shape the purpose, direction and future state of ambulatory nursing practice in the U.S.

“If there is one message I would share with ambulatory nurses, or any nurses for that matter, it is to join the local and national nursing groups and take advantage of the opportunities they have available,” said Terri (right), who noted that she won a $1,000 scholarship through the AAACN for her evidence-based practice project titled “Educating New-to-Practice RNs in an Ambulatory Nurse Residency Program to Perform Telephone Triage.”

“I have learned a lot participating in these groups and seeing what’s happening in nursing throughout the U.S. It is also fulfilling to know I’m contributing to ambulatory nursing on a national level.”

Excellence in urgent care redesign

In late 2021, UW Health West Towne Clinic Urgent Care began making changes to its care model using UW Health improvement tools, Kotter’s eight-step change model and a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach. The goal: Create a positive impact for team members while improving the patient experience.

Since that time, the quality improvement strategies helped enculturate the changes into the urgent care daily practice model. This has resulted in several positive changes, including decreased wait times, higher patient experience satisfaction scores and continuity of care for patients due to better communication between patients and their care teams. Additionally, the care team has experienced improvements in communication, equalized workload distribution, earlier end times for closing shifts and a decreased turnover rate.

This work was so impactful that the West Towne Urgent Care team received a 2023 UW Health Nursing Quality Excellence Award. Rebecca Pollard, BSN, RN, clinic supervisor, presented the redesign project at the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) Conference in April 2023 in Orlando, Fla., further demonstrating that UW Health ambulatory nurses are helping shape nursing practice on a national level.

Rebecca Pollard presented the UW Health West Towne Urgent Care redesign project at the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing conference in April 2023.

Check out more stories featuring the great work of our nurses in the Nursing Year in Review 2023 (pdf).


Supporting a safe haven for kids

Pictured (left to right): Diana Koziol. Sarah Bell and Marj Hubert were part of the group of nurses in northern Illinois who held a stocking stuffer drive in November 2023 that resulted in more than 100 items being donated to the children at Rock House Kids.

UW Health nurses are our unsung heroes, not only tending to the medical needs of our patients, but also actively building an environment of safety and comfort for those in need.

The UW Health Shared Governance Professional Development Council in northern Illinois participates in a variety of fundraising drives in the community. One program very close to their hearts for several years now is Rock House Kids.

An evening shelter for youth, located in downtown Rockford, Rock House Kids began in 1999 with a 9-year-old boy who was running away from a dangerous home situation. The founder of Rock House assisted him with food, clothing, school support and other items, and soon after, his friends joined him. Over the years, Rock House Kids has grown to become a safe haven for children in Rockford, providing a safe space for them to get off the streets, have an evening meal and be mentored by loving staff and volunteers.

Several of our UW Health nurses frequently volunteer as mentors, provide food and decorate the building. In November 2023, the council held a stocking stuffer drive that resulted in more than 100 items donated for the kids at Rock House.

“Having a safe space for children in our community to go is so important, and as caregivers, we recognize how Rock House not only addresses immediate health concerns but also contributes to the long-term well-being and happiness of these children,” said Ashley Ponder, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, manager, nursing professional development.

Another local organization that’s near and dear to the UW Health Northern Illinois Professional Development Council is the Rockford Boys & Girls Club. In 2023, nurses (left to right), Marla Maurici, BS, RCS, Heather Danuk, BSN, RN, CV-BC, Sabrina Barnas, BSN, RN, CGRN, Paige Glendenning, MSN, RN-BC and Santa Romero-Arvidson, BSN, RN, CV-BC, were among the council members who held a drive to further support youth who rely on the invaluable services this organization provides.


Check out more stories featuring the great work of our nurses in the Nursing Year in Review 2023 (pdf).