OU Health Nursing Professionals Honored for Excellence

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Children’s Hospital at OU Health and several nurses were honored recently by the Oklahoma Nurses Association.

The hospital received the Excellence in the Workplace Award for developing positive work environments and demonstrating innovative and effective programs and approaches that support nurses and promote excellent nursing care.

Amber Bradford, MSN, R.N., received the Oklahoma Nurses Association award for Excellence in Nursing-Administration, and Sheila K. St. Cyr, M.S., R.N.-B.C., received the Excellence in Nursing-Education award. These awards honor nursing professionals for development of innovative, unique and creative approaches that use nursing theory, knowledge and skills in any practice setting.

Helen Farrar, Ph.D., R.N., B.C.-CNE, assistant professor at the OU College of Nursing, and Donald W. Reynolds Nurse Scholar in Geriatrics, received the Nightingale Award of Excellence. The Nightingale Award is presented to an Oklahoma Nurses Association member who has provided service and dedication to the association, exemplifies the characteristics of a professional nurse, implemented unique strategies to fulfill professional and community role responsibilities, as well as engaging in a variety of roles that enhance the image of the nursing profession.

“The awards presented to The Children’s Hospital and to these exceptional individuals further establish

OU Health as a leader in healthcare,” said Cathy Pierce, M.S., RNC, CENP, chief nurse executive, OU Health. “We take great pride in the dedication shown by these nursing professional as they serve and care for our patients at OU Health. They are to be commended for making excellence the benchmark of their work.”

Oklahoma Nurses Association works as a community of professional nurses across all specialties and practice settings. The association focuses on supporting and engaging nurses to address issues that impact the work they perform on a daily basis.

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OU MEDICINE

OU Health — along with its academic partner, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center — is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system of hospitals, clinics and centers of excellence. With 11,000 employees and more than 1,300 physicians and advanced practice providers, OU Health is home to Oklahoma’s largest physician network with a complete range of specialty care. OU Health serves Oklahoma and the region with the state’s only freestanding children’s hospital, the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Stephenson Cancer Center and Oklahoma’s flagship hospital, which serves as the state’s only Level 1 trauma center. OU Health is the No. 1 ranked hospital system in Oklahoma, and its oncology program at Stephenson Cancer Center and OU Medical Center ranked in the Top 50 in the nation, in the 2019-2020 rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. OU Health was also ranked by U.S. News & World Report as high performing in four specialties: Ophthalmology in partnership with Dean McGee Eye Institute, Colon Surgery, COPD and Congestive Heart Failure. OU Health’s mission is to lead healthcare in patient care, education and research. To learn more, visit oumedicine.com.