Since Shelley Cohen, RN, BS, CEN, president of Health Resources Unlimited, a healthcare education and consulting company in Hohenwald, TN, took her first steps in the nursing profession 30 plus years ago, more has changed than the stark white uniform.

“Gloves were unheard of, we smoked at the nursing station, and the more blood you had on yourself at the end of your shift meant you were a better ED nurse,” says Cohen. “We never once thought anything about what we said or did-and about how we affected our image.”

But nurses today must be well aware of their actions and behavior, which signify their professionalism and education, and thereby positively or negatively shape their individual image and the nursing image as a whole.

And those who improve the image of nursing within their facilities and inspire others to do the same should be celebrated, which is the idea behind HCPro’s 2009 Nursing Image Awards.

“It’s about time nurses recognize each other for all that they do,” says Cohen, who is one of the judges for the awards that will be handed out at HCPro’s Nursing Leadership Summit in Boston, MA in September. “This is an opportunity to stand proud for all that the profession brings to patient care.”

Awards are being presented to an individual or team of nurses and to nursing leaders among two categories:

• The image of nursing in clinical practice: This category recognizes individual nurses or nursing teams who portray a positive image of nursing through their clinical excellence, and who have made significant contributions to improve patient outcomes, patient safety/quality initiatives, staff satisfaction, practice changes, research or evidence-based practice projects, interdisciplinary collaboration, or organizational goals.
• The image of nursing in leadership: This category honors a nursing leader who embodies a positive image of nursing through his or her leadership excellence and who has served as an inspiring leader, mentor, and role model to nurses as they strive to portray an image of professionalism in all that they do, whether by overcoming significant challenges, spearheading change, or inspiring teamwork that resulted in achievement of operational goals/objectives.

Award recipients will be honored for improving the image of nursing and recognized in HCPro’s national nursing publications as well as live at the Nursing Leadership Summit.

Editor’s note: The deadline for HCPro’s 2009 Nursing Image Awards nominations is May 31, 2009. For more information about the awards and to submit nominations, visit www.hcpro.com/2009nursingimageawards.