For the past 19 years, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) has honored 10 of the region’s best nurses and one outstanding nurse leader through their annual Nurse Excellence Awards. Out of more than 780 nominations submitted this year, two of the ten honorees were Northeast Georgia Medical Center employees: Allie Ellington and Tina Jordan.
NGMC staff and leaders were encouraged to submit nominations for the award, and a total of 63 nurses were nominated.
This year, the event took place during Nurses Week, traditionally celebrated between May 6 – 12. The ceremony was hosted by Monica Kaufman Pearson, Atlanta television news anchor, and Leroy Chapman, the AJC’s editor-in-chief. Many of the NGMC nominees attended the celebration luncheon and were able to share the experience with their coworkers.
Allie Ellington
Alexandra (Allie) Ellington, BSN, RN, works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at NGMC Braselton. She grew up in a family of nurses but wasn’t sure she wanted to follow that career path. However, after clinical shadowing opportunities in high school, she changed her mind.
Allie has worked in critical care for six years and been at NGMC Braselton for two.
When asked about Allie’s care and composure, Jennifer Flynt, nurse director, said: “Through the interview process, I could tell she had this air of calmness surrounding her and that she was very passionate about her career and the patients and families that she cares for.”
Due to the traumatic experience and out of respect for the patient, no specifics were discussed in her interview with the AJC, but Allie’s nomination story highlighted a situation where she displayed many of NGHS’ core values, including respectful compassion, deep interdependence and passion for excellence.
Part of Allie’s nomination stated, “Allie was a vital part of the communication between the family, patient and interdisciplinary team members. She truly embodies and upholds the core values of NGHS and nursing as a whole. Allie continues to be an inspiration to us all, demonstrating the true definition of what a nurse should strive to be.”
When asked about her nursing experiences and what makes nursing special to her, Allie responded, “The thing that makes nursing the most wonderful for me, I think, is seeing the families being so thankful for what you do and taking care of their loved ones. They are in one of the worst moments of their life – one of the scariest times of their life – and they really look to the nurse to be that helper and bridge between the worst days and the best days. That makes it all worth it.”
Tina Jordan
Tina Jordan, BSN, RN, works at NGMC Gainesville and has been a nurse for more than 20 years. At a young age, Tina experienced her sick grandmother being cared for by nurses. It was that moment when she knew she wanted to help people when she was older.
In 2023, Tina was awarded the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses after receiving six nominations in one month. The DAISY Award is an international award program that celebrates the skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day. Tina’s unit leader decided to submit a combination of Tina’s DAISY nominations for the AJC Nurse Excellence Award.
When recalling the events that lead to Tina’s six nominations, her unit leader stated, “Tina connects with all of the families on the unit. She is often the first person we send into a room because she has this magic about her that helps calm people down. There was an issue on the floor, so, of course we sent in Tina because she is the best.”
The patient was having a difficult time post-surgery and started experiencing shaking in her legs, which lead to full body tremors. She wrote, “Tina was very sweet and gentle and very concerned [AS2] about my condition and my family’s concerns.”
Communication plays a vital role in all levels of care at NGHS, and the patient and their family wanted to know more about this change in condition. Tina advocated for the patient, contacted the provider and continued through the escalation process until the patient was moved to a higher level of care.
The patient stated, “Tina stayed with me and my family while we waited for a room. She held my hand through an episode of tremors and told me to breathe and gave me comfort. She didn’t have to do any of this because her shift was already over! She made me feel loved and cared for.”
One of the patient’s family members also wrote, “Even after mom was transferred to a different department, Tina came by several times to see if there were any improvements.”
Tina’s attentiveness, genuine care and concern meant the world to the patient and her family.
To close her nomination letter, the patient wrote, “I will forever remember the love and support and kindness Tina showed me and my family in that very scary and dark time. She is everything this award is made for!”
Grateful for Caring Staff
Allie and Tina’s actions serve as examples to their teams – and the nursing field – because of the attention and care they provide to every patient they serve. Learn more about this year’s AJC Nursing Awards.
If you know an extraordinary nurse deserving of a DAISY Award, you can nominate them at nghs.com/daisy.