Beverly J. McElmurry receives congratulations from colleagues after being named the 2009 Joan L. Shaver Illinois Outstanding Nurse Leader Award winner Oct. 23 in Chicago.
(Photo by Barry Bottino)
Behind a lectern in the Chicago Hilton’s grand ballroom was the “last place on earth” that Beverly J. McElmurry, RN, EdD, FAAN, said she wanted to be Oct. 23.
Yet McElmurry’s work with nurses and students around the globe as professor and associate dean, global health leadership at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing was one of the main reasons she was honored with the 2009 Joan L. Shaver Illinois Outstanding Nurse Leader Award at the 12th annual Power of Nursing Leadership Event.
“She’s like the mother and the grandmother to all of our international students,” said Mi Ja Kim, RN, PhD, FRCN, FAAN, professor and interim dean, UIC College of Nursing, who thanked McElmurry for the “leadership and caring” she has shown to students she works with from Chile, Indonesia, Malawi, China, Lithuania, Swaziland, Botswana, Thailand, and other nations.
About 50 of those international students were among hundreds at the event who gave McElmurry a standing ovation for receiving the award. “It’s not about me,” McElmurry said. “It’s a reflection for this college of how far we’ve come since the early days when we started. ... We’ve been very lucky to have these experiences.”
The night before the PNLE ceremony, McElmurry received a phone message from a retired colleague who is now teaching in Japan. “I’ve been getting notes like that from all over the world,” she said.
Keynote speaker M. Tray Dunaway, MD, addressed “Connecting the Dots of Healthcare,” a lively presentation that included Dunaway tearing off his suit and tie to reveal scrubs.
Dunaway’s discussion included thought-provoking moments, plenty of laughs, and numerous kudos for nurses.
“You provide the magic,” he told the audience while applauding nurses for their teamwork, communication skills, and above all, patient advocacy. “[Physicians are] not great team players, and you are. ... Physicians alone cannot do what you do. Yours is the one voice that stands out.”
Barry Bottino is a regional editor at Nursing Spectrum.
Log on to www.Nurse.com/Chicago to see a photo gallery from the Power of Nursing Leadership Event.
Yet McElmurry’s work with nurses and students around the globe as professor and associate dean, global health leadership at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing was one of the main reasons she was honored with the 2009 Joan L. Shaver Illinois Outstanding Nurse Leader Award at the 12th annual Power of Nursing Leadership Event.
“She’s like the mother and the grandmother to all of our international students,” said Mi Ja Kim, RN, PhD, FRCN, FAAN, professor and interim dean, UIC College of Nursing, who thanked McElmurry for the “leadership and caring” she has shown to students she works with from Chile, Indonesia, Malawi, China, Lithuania, Swaziland, Botswana, Thailand, and other nations.
About 50 of those international students were among hundreds at the event who gave McElmurry a standing ovation for receiving the award. “It’s not about me,” McElmurry said. “It’s a reflection for this college of how far we’ve come since the early days when we started. ... We’ve been very lucky to have these experiences.”
The night before the PNLE ceremony, McElmurry received a phone message from a retired colleague who is now teaching in Japan. “I’ve been getting notes like that from all over the world,” she said.
Keynote speaker M. Tray Dunaway, MD, addressed “Connecting the Dots of Healthcare,” a lively presentation that included Dunaway tearing off his suit and tie to reveal scrubs.
Dunaway’s discussion included thought-provoking moments, plenty of laughs, and numerous kudos for nurses.
“You provide the magic,” he told the audience while applauding nurses for their teamwork, communication skills, and above all, patient advocacy. “[Physicians are] not great team players, and you are. ... Physicians alone cannot do what you do. Yours is the one voice that stands out.”
Barry Bottino is a regional editor at Nursing Spectrum.
Log on to www.Nurse.com/Chicago to see a photo gallery from the Power of Nursing Leadership Event.
To comment, e-mail editorIL@nursingspectrum.com.
