Overland Park Regional Nurse wins HCA award

Estelle Schmidt, RN, BSN, said she planned to become an emergency department nurse, but Schmidt found her niche in intensive care.

Schmidt works in the intensive care unit for the HCA Midwest hospital Overland Park Regional Medical Center. HCA Midwest recently named Schmidt as the organization’s nurse of the year.

“It’s an amazing honor, first and foremost, to think that the people I work with think that much of me and what I do,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt has been a nurse since 1999. She joined the team at Overland Park Regional eight years ago.

“I’m a staff nurse, taking care of patients,” Schmidt said. “I also am a charge nurse and I orient new employees.”

Overland Park Regional Chief Nursing Officer Caroline Corich, BSN, MSM, nominated Schmidt for the award. Chief nursing officers throughout the HCA Midwest system selected Schmidt as nurse of the year.

Corich said Schmidt plays an integral role at Overland Park Regional.

“People in the whole hospital know her and they know her leadership,” Corich said. “She’s very well-respected by her colleagues, her peers in the ICU, as well as out of the ICU.”

Schmidt serves as chair for Overland Park Regional’s Practice Counsel. The counsel helps implement procedures to improve patient care.

Corich said Schmidt helped form the Practice Counsel and continues to help streamline communication among health care providers throughout Overland Park Regional.

Schmidt helped lead the “ticket to ride” initiative. The measure requires nurses to fill out a form before patients are transported to other departments for testing, such as radiology. The form provides information to health care providers in those departments.

“All of this is to make sure the patient is safe, the services are provided timely and that there is good communication between providers,” Corich said.

HCA Midwest launched its Nurse of the Year program last December. Schmidt received her award Dec. 18.

“Quite honestly I’m still shocked by it,” Schmidt said. “I had no idea that I was even nominated by anyone.”

Corich said Schmidt made a great candidate for the first HCA Midwest Nurse of the Year award.

“I feel very honored that Estelle is our first nurse and that she represents Overland Park in that way,” Corich said. “She truly represents what goes on in nursing in our division.”

As the recipient of the HCA Midwest Nurse of the Year award, Schmidt receives $1,000 to use toward education.

Schmidt is currently enrolled in a master’s program at the University of Kansas School of Nursing. She said she plans to become a nurse practitioner, with a focus in adult gerontology.

Schmidt said she could not reach her career goals without her mentors.

“I’m just very appreciative and very thankful to the nurses that came before me, the nurses that were my role models and preceptors,” Schmidt said.

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