| April 30, 2005
MGH registered
nurse serves as a group leader at Spring Institute of Nursing
Excellence
NICU RN relishes the experience
A
Marquette General Hospital registered nurse finds herself in
some rather exclusive company.
Kelly Kurin, an RN in the Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Marquette
General, is among a group of 30 select Michigan nurses who were chosen by the
Michigan Center for Nursing and the Michigan Organization of Nurse Executives
as group leaders for the Spring Institute of Nursing Excellence.
The program was developed to recognize and reward clinical nurses who work
at the bedside in Michigan and excel in their field.
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Photo cutline: Kelly Kurin, an RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
at Marquette General Hospital, spends time with a newborn baby in the NICU. Kurin
is among a group of 30 Michigan nurses who were selected by the Michigan Center
for Nursing and the Michigan Organization of Nurse Executives as group leaders
for the Spring Institute of Nursing Excellence. (MGH photo)
Kurin and the other nominees attended the Institute of Nursing
Excellence from April 10-13 at Crystal Mountain Resort and
Conference Center in Thompsonville,
Mich. Kurin participate in a team-building program featuring development
of leadership talents and understanding of generational and
ethnic cultures within
health care.
The Institute also addressed how to effect safety and policy changes as a
team member.
“It was a great experience,” Kurin said. “Working as a registered
nurse in a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is very challenging and rewarding.
As a neonatal transport nurse, I’ve had the opportunity for advance training
in intubation and umbilical line placement.”
Kurin often volunteers to take students under her wing.
“I feel it’s important to make their experience positive,” she
said. “I want to show students that patient care isn’t just paperwork.
I also encourage new nurses to work with me, and I encourage more experienced
nurses to teach.”
Fellow NICU nurse Jennifer Farnsworth applauds Kurin.
“Kelly is an awesome nurse. She always gives the babies she cares for attention
as if they were her only patients,” Farnsworth said. “Kelly comes
in every week above her scheduled hours to work with mothers on breastfeeding.
She is also often sought out at home on her days off to answer questions regarding
breastfeeding.
“Kelly is one of the nurses who I bounce different ideas off in a critical
situation. Her awesome critical thinking skills make her a wonderful asset to
our neonatal transport team.”
Cindy Ampe, Nurse Manager of the Family
Birthing Center at Marquette General,
puts Kurin in a “special’ category.
“She has a special gift for providing excellent nursing care and draws
parents into adjusting and accepting the rough NICU course through humor and
acceptance of where they’re at with their baby’s condition,” Ampe
said. “She has gone above NICU RN expectations and has advanced her skills
to be a Level I transport nurse.
“Kelly provides outreach education on a continual basis to all of our referral
nursing staff. She also provides on-going education to staff on how to best assist/support
breast feeding.”
Kurin, a nurse at Marquette General for 14 years, is a member of the Michigan
Nurses Association and Michigan Association of Lactation Consultants. She
is certified in neonatal resuscitation; board certified as a lactation consultant;
is a provider and instructor of pediatric advanced life support; and is heavily
involved in perinatal outreach and in-service programs. She’s also served
as a breastfeeding class instructor.
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