Atlantic General Hospital recently presented the DAISY Award for excellence in nursing to Nettie Widgeon, RN. Pictured, from left, are Kelly Fox, BSN RN; Andy West-McCabe, RN, Director of Practice Transformation and Emergency Department; Widgeon; Tim Whetstine, new vice president of Practice Administration; and Mary Mullins, RN, clinical coordinator of Wound Care.

(Feb. 8, 2018) Atlantic General Hospital presented the DAISY Award for excellence in nursing to Nettie Widgeon, RN, during a recent presentation.

Widgeon has worked at the Berlin hospital for 13 years. She was hired as a CNA on med-surg. Widgeon then became a tech and transferred to the emergency department. While working in the emergency department, she received the scholarship from Atlantic General and completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Widgeon then went on to become a charge nurse in the emergency department. Four months ago, she took the clinical supervisor position for the health system. Additionally, Widgeon is a SAFE Nurse (Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner) for the hospital.

“This was a true highlight of my career,” Widgeon said. “There is no greater job in the world than being a nurse. It is who I am.”

One nomination Widgeon received recounted a situation in which a patient was brought to the ER with slurred speech and disorientation. While the patient admitted to having too much to drink, Nettie realized not all his symptoms pointed to alcohol intoxication. Due to her sharp observation, the patient was diagnosed with a severe brain hemorrhage and he was immediately transferred for surgery.

The nomination stated, “In a quick and challenging environment, this was an exceptional medical assessment alert to the physician. All nurses are caring; some have more experience than others, however, a quick eye to the abnormal can result in a lifesaving event. Had the patient been treated for his agitation, rather than the hidden, immediate problem, this case could have resulted in a grim outcome.”

The DAISY Award, created by The DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, honors the extraordinary work nurses do for patients and families each day. Hospital leadership brought the awards program to Atlantic General to recognize the compassion and high level of care its nurses provide to residents and visitors of the community.

Patients and visitors can nominate an Atlantic General Hospital and Health System nurse for the DAISY Award at any time. Nomination forms are available in every hospital department and health system physician office. Awards are bestowed quarterly.