Nurses Recognized for Excellence in Leadership and Outreach

Patricia Francis-Johnson, R.N., DNP, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, was named Texas Nurses Association Region 18 Nurse of the Year.

Lisa Norris Burns from the school’s Second-Degree Program, and Julie Pyle from the school’s Traditional Program, were named Student Nurses of the Year.

Nurse of the Year

Last year’s Nurse of the Year Yondell Masten, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, professor, associate dean for outcomes management and evaluation and The Florence Thelma Hall Endowed Chair for Nursing Excellence in Women’s Health, presented Francis-Johnson with the 2014 award.

“Pat is a good role model and demonstrates excellent Leadership skills,” said Irene Salinas, Francis-Johnson’s nominator. “My main reason for nominating her is that she has been a great mentor to me during my first year in the DNP program. She is very insightful, encouraging and helpful.”

Francis-Johnson is no stranger to this honor. She was previously named Nurse of the Year in 2011. Irene Salinas, R.N., MSN, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, said she nominated Francis-Johnson again for her constant involvement in the Texas Nurses Association and her dedication to teaching TeamSTEPPS.

TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based teamwork system developed by the Department of Defense in collaboration with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The system is aimed at optimizing patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among health care professionals. It includes a comprehensive set of ready-to-use materials and a training curriculum to successfully integrate teamwork principles into any health care system.

Francis-Johnson was also commended for her work with implementing a Shared Governance Council in the School of Nursing.

Student Nurses of the Year

Pyle was nominated for Student Nurse of the Year by the Texas Nursing Student Association for her hard work and dedication to the organization and her skills in planning and implementing fundraising activities in the organization.

Norris Burns was nominated by Bibha Gautam, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor in the School of Nursing’s Second-Degree Program. Norris Burns is a mother of two children and an Air Force spouse. In addition to being an extremely motivated learner who works well in a team environment, she has volunteered in the U.S. Air Force Spouses Club in Air Force Special Operation Command in Florida and Portugal. More recently, she traveled with TTUHSC on a health care outreach trip to Nicaragua.

Both Pyle and Norris Burns graduated from the School of Nursing in May.