Carrie has been a perinatal educator to expectant parents at Georgetown for nearly four years. In that time, she has taught a variety of classes and is very excited about her current project. She is coordinating an educational and case management Maternal Child Health program with the D.C. Department of Health. The objective of this program is to help decrease the infant mortality rate in the District by targeting all mothers in the District.

Carrie, who holds a BSN from Widener University and an MSN from the University of Maryland, found our highly rated obstetrical services, particularly with high-risk pregnancies, to be her major attraction to the Georgetown nursing team. But she'll tell you that she stays because of the community feeling within the hospital and the truly collaborative relationships among the health care team.

Three years ago, Juncy was intrigued by the great things she had heard about the Georgetown Nursing team. Although she was seemingly happy practicing at another area hospital, the allure proved to be just what she needed to attend one of our open houses.

Shortly after completing an application for an Emergency Room staff nurse position, Juncy found herself talking to our ER Nurse Manager and a nurse recruiter. During the interview, Juncy could sense the warm, inviting nature of the Georgetown team. They all seemed so happy with their jobs. That's all she needed to know, deciding right on the spot to work here at Georgetown University Hospital.

Although Juncy will say that the ED position is the best thing that ever happened to her, that's just the way we feel about having her as a part of our team. She truly believes Georgetown University Hospital is the best place that she has ever worked! That's saying a lot since Juncy has more than 26 years of nursing experience in every region of the country.

Juncy is not one to keep her good feelings to herself. She has recruited numerous nurses to join the Georgetown team, including several members of her own family. We think that says a lot.

Lynn has had quite an unusual career odyssey. After spending eight years in the marketing field, she made a life-changing decision to become a nurse. She was leaving the security of an established career, yet certainly would not miss the deadlines, expense reports, and monotonous days on the computer.

Being part of the graduating nursing class of 2003 allowed Lynn the opportunity to more closely scrutinize her options. She informally interviewed nurses from area hospitals. During her clinicals, she observed the interaction and attitudes of hospital staff, while analyzing each facility's standards, culture, and ability to attain the highly coveted Magnet status.

Through it all, one hospital kept working its way to the top of Lynn's list...Georgetown University Hospital. She was driven to find out first-hand what made Georgetown ìthe nurses hospital.î So she applied as a Nurse Technician on a medical intensive care unit to get a closer glimpse of the reality of acute bedside nursing at Georgetown.

What she found was a hospital that had a commitment to caring, a culture that fostered teamwork, and an active shared governance program. She also experienced aggressive encouragement for staff development and continuing education.

Since joining the hospital, Lynn has been greeted with smiles and plenty of care and attention. She has seen great efforts made on the part of hospital staff to ensure her success. This included the individualized unit orientation and professional development classes that make up Georgetown's yearlong new graduate program. Even social activities were planned to foster relationships among staff.

Now a Labor & Delivery Nurse, Lynn feels privileged to be part of the miracle of childbirth. Her experiences have been vast. Many of the patients are high risk. Some may also have underlying medical problems. Through it all, the nursing staff has been supportive and encouraging and has made all new graduate nurses feel welcome and part of the team.

Lynn sees a bright future thanks to the support of her peers, senior nursing, medical staff, and the unit leadership. In Lynn's mind, Georgetown represents what a Magnet hospital is, and she is excited to be a part of a Magnet institution.

Maria's nursing career took her thousands of miles before she settled upon becoming a Georgetown nurse fifteen years ago. After working as nurse in the Philippines for a year, Maria made the decision to pursue new and exciting opportunities in the United States. That was twenty years ago, and it initially took her career to Queens, New York. It wasn't too long, however, before we were fortunate enough to have Maria at Georgetown. Thanks, in part, to the educational opportunities here, Maria has been an active and enthusiastic MICU nurse in 1994.

Maria earned her BSN at Cebu Doctor's College of Nursing in 1980. When her shift is over, Maria loves to cook and spend time with her husband and three children.

Marilou loves clinical practice at Georgetown University Hospital!

As a staff nurse in the dialysis unit, she was given the opportunity to climb the clinical ladder, a professional advancement program that is available for staff nurses. This was made possible because I have a supportive nurse manager who believes in the program and in her.

Georgetown University Hospital utilizes peer reviews. Staff nurses provide co-workers with a sound professional feedback, which she can take as an opportunity for growth.

As a Magnet Champion (the committee that worked to achieve and sustain Magnet status at Georgetown University Hospital) Marilou got to know not only the nurses from other units, but also employees from all over the hospital. For her, collaboration is now a positive encounter because she knows and likes the people she works with and depend on.

Tina became a Georgetown Nurse right out of nursing school. That was twenty years ago and she has never regretted her decision. She has taken full advantage of countless opportunities for advancement, yet still has plenty of room to grow. Her career at Georgetown has taken her to Assistant Nursing Coordinator, then Unit Educator for our General Surgery unit. Last year, she was named the Principal Investigator for a nurse-initiated IRB research project.

But Tina feels there are so many other reasons to be a Georgetown nurse. She likes the encouragement nurses get in pursuit of professional advancement through tuition benefits and flexible scheduling to accommodate school. She is also fulfilled by the exposure Georgetown nurses get to cutting-edge surgeries and procedures performed by world-renowned physicians.

Despite a 60-90 minute commute each day, Tina has honestly never considered leaving. She feels strongly, as we do, that there is no better place to practice nursing than Georgetown University Hospital.

Toe Toe learned just how caring and compassionate the Georgetown nursing team could be under the most difficult of circumstances. It was just eleven years ago when her mother, who was never sick in her life, was told that she had a brain tumor. In her advanced condition, there was no better place in the region for her care and treatment than the Brain and Spinal Unit at Georgetown University Hospital.

Toe Toe and her family found the care to be superb and the nurses to be incredibly professional. It was a life-changing experience for Toe Toe as she realized how important caring, compassionate and knowledgeable nurses are for the patients and the family members.

After her mother passed away, Toe Toe knew that she had to be part of that special nursing team. Now, after nearly 3 years, she is still proud to be a member of what she considers to be the best nursing team in the business. Most of all, she knows first-hand what a huge difference she makes in the lives of patients and their families.