Newswise — The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) honors Pamela Thompson, MS, RN, CENP, FAAN, with the 2017 Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award for a Distinguished Career.
Thompson will receive the award for exceptional contributions that enhance the care of critically ill patients and their families, and further AACN’s mission and vision. The presentation will occur during the 2017 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, Houston, May 22-25.
Thompson is chief executive officer emeritus of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE). Prior to her appointment, she served 16 years as AONE CEO and senior vice president nursing/chief nursing officer of the American Hospital Association. She was responsible for the management and administrative leadership of AONE, as well as the AHA Workforce Initiative and addressing issues specific to strengthening the healthcare workforce and the redesign of patient care delivery.
She continues to consult with leading healthcare organizations on issues related to leadership and nursing, and serves as national program director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Academic Progression in Nursing initiative.
“Pam used her personal journey from the bedside to the boardroom to advocate for nurses to become leaders in their units, in their facilities and throughout the healthcare system,” said AACN board president Clareen Wiencek, RN, PhD, ACNP, ACHPN.
As AONE CEO, Thompson was responsible for the overall leadership and administrative operations of the professional organization, which represents over 9,000 nurses in executive and leadership practice.
Prior to joining AONE and AHA, she was vice president for the Children’s Hospital, Obstetrics Psychiatric Services, and Strategic Planning at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Her nursing career spans more than 40 years, beginning as a staff nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit and emergency departments at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
She has long been involved in state and national association work. She was the first nurse executive elected chair of the board of trustees of the New Hampshire Hospital Association. She also served as president of the New Hampshire Organization of Nurse Executives and was a charter member of the Center for Nursing Leadership.
Prior to joining the AONE staff, she was a longtime member and served as a national board member of the association. She also served on the board of the National Patient Safety Foundation, including a term as chair, and was a member of the Lucien Leape Institute.
Thompson earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and her master’s degree from the University of Rochester. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
About the Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award: Established in 1997 and named for a past AACN president, the Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award for a Distinguished Career recognizes extraordinary and distinguished professional contributions that further AACN’s mission and vision of a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families where acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. Recipients of this Visionary Leadership Award receive a $1,000 gift to the charity of their choice, lifetime membership in AACN and a crystal replica of the presidential “Vision” icon. Other Visionary Leadership Awards, AACN’s highest honor, include Lifetime Member Award and the AACN Pioneering Spirit Award.
About the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition: Established in 1974, AACN’s National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) represents the world’s largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families. Bedside nurses, nurse educators, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners attend NTI.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, California, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN represents the interests of more than half a million acute and critical care nurses and has more than 200 chapters throughout the United States. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4109; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme
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