Five Spencer Hospital Professionals Honored among Iowa's “100 Great Nurses” as Nurses Week 2021 Kicks Off

posted on Friday, April 30, 2021 in General

On Sunday, May 2 a virtual ceremony will be held to celebrate the 100 Great Iowa Nurses, which includes five Spencer Hospital professionals. The celebration is an annual prelude to National Nurses Week, which begins on May 6-12, concluding on the birthday of Florence Nightingale.

Spencer Hospital nurses who will be honored on Sunday include Jill Bobolz, Jeannette Hasley, Pamela Jackson, Molly Lovin and Sara Taylor.

“We’re so proud of these five outstanding nurses,” commented Brenda Tiefenthaler, VP of Patient Care and Informatics at Spencer Hospital. “We wish they could gather with family, friends and the other 95 honorees to celebrate this year, yet are thankful for the virtual ceremony designed for health safety. We encourage our coworkers and community members to let these outstanding nurses know how much they’re appreciated.”

The 100 Great Iowa Nurses program identifies 100 outstanding nurses every year whose courage, competence, and commitment to patients and the nursing profession stand out above all others. These nurses go above and beyond to contribute significantly to the profession of nursing.

Nurse Jill Bobolz cares for patients being treated in Spencer Hospital Behavioral Health Services.  Her nominator noted Jill’s empathy for her patients: “Jill is a champion of her patients and one of the greatest examples of an advocate I have witnessed on our unit. In her role of triage nurse, I have observed Jill during her follow-up calls to patients. I am in awe each time at her patience, empathy, and motivation to provide her patients and patients of our unit with the resources and encouragement needed to succeed in the outpatient setting. On our unit, not all patients come to us voluntarily for help. Even during those moments when a patient may resist treatment, Jill is there to gently and gracefully plant the seeds of insight in even the most difficult of circumstances.”

Jeannette Hasley currently serves as director of the birth center, women’s health and diabetic education. In nominating Jeannette for the 100 Great Nurses award, one of her co-workers wrote: “Jeannette has such a fiery passion for women's health and labor and delivery. She strives to relay the latest research to her staff and improve processes while still putting the patient in the center of the care delivery model. She provides the perfect balance of evidence-based practice mixed with enhancing the patient experience. Jeannette takes current recommendations and turns it into real practice at the bedside level, such as hand-designing a quantitative blood loss sheet and implementing simulation experiences for staff to learn from. I have seen firsthand how Jeannette advocates for the most optimal patient outcomes. Words simply cannot describe how many people's lives that Jeannette has touched from her incredible empathy and compassion.”

Pam Jackson’s natural warmth and compassion are invaluable skills in her role as a hospice and home health nurse. In the nomination letter on behalf of Pam, her nominated commented: “If you ever have the opportunity to meet Pam you would instantly find yourself in awe of how her calm demeanor makes you feel instantly at ease. Patients constantly rave about how much they trust Pam and value her as their nurse. One instance in which Pam demonstrated her devout compassion was at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Our agency received a telephone call late on a Friday afternoon to inquire about transferring a patient home with hospice care. This patient was far advanced on his end-of-life journey. His family had not been able to see him in the hospital with the current visitor restrictions. Without hesitation, Pam took the referral and quickly made all the necessary phone calls to ensure a peaceful transfer. She arranged for durable medical equipment (DME) to be delivered and for medications needed to ensure symptom management to be picked up prior to his arrival home. Pam traveled over 30 miles to meet the patient and family at his home after hours late Friday evening in order to complete the admission process. Because of Pam’s tireless work efforts, the patient was able to spend his last moments comfortable and surrounded by his family; he passed approximately 2 hours after arriving home.”

Molly Lovin serves as nurse educator for the Same Day Surgery, post-recovery and preadmission nursing department and also works in patient care. Her nominated wrote: “Molly is a great leader. She promotes nursing and quality of work by not only teaching it but living it. The new staff member begins orientation with Molly, and she gives them giving extra attention and patience so the new nurse won't feel pressured, yet knows expectations. Molly spends one on one time with the orientee to ensure they understand procedures and works with them so their new work experience will be a success. She is seen as a go-to nurse who is so easy to approach. COVID necessitated many changes. Molly worked effortlessly and proficient in her undertaking of making policy and procedure plans to keep the safety of workers and patients priority. She is an inspiration to all.”

Sara Taylor transitioned recently from her role as women’s health coordinator and patient advocate to now serving as executive director of the Spencer Regional Healthcare Foundation. Her nominator wrote: “Sara's most significant contribution to the nursing profession has occurred through her exceptional compassionate, yet direct communication skills. She is truly empathetic when working with patients who express concerns and strives to meet their various needs. She's quick to touch base with staff and patients when a concern arises, helping resolve issues and misunderstandings quickly. Our entire patient care team strives to provide our patients a positive experience, yet sometimes a situation calls for a third party person to join in, listen, and help with communications or research. Sara is an exceptional person to fulfill that role and has made a difference for so many people through her listening and care.”

This is the 17th anniversary of the program. Over the years, many Spencer Hospital professionals have been recognized by the program, including the following:

Marcia Larson – 2006
Linda Casey – 2009
Judy Fox – 2009
Deb Johnson – 2009
Francel Graham – 2010
Mindy Sylvester – 2010
Dee Vaage – 2011
Laura Armstrong – 2016
Colette Rossiter – 2016
Ben Armstrong – 2017
Laura Manwarren – 2017
Brenda Tiefenthaler – 2017
Joyce Tewes - 2018
Jeri Wescott – 2018
Melissa Brent – 2019
Colleen Hart – 2019
Jolie Threlkeld – 2019
Carol Hartig – 2020
Deanne Hoger – 2020
Beth Hopkins – 2020
John Lyon – 2020
Margaret Molitor – 2020
Jill Bobolz – 2021
Jeannette Hasley – 2021
Pam Jackson – 2021
Molly Lovin – 2021
Sara Taylor - 2021

1. awards