Bergin Ericson Receives BWH’s Top Nursing Honor
Eleanor Bergin Ericson, BSN, RN, of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, received in May the Mary S. Fay Essence of Nursing Award, the hospital’s highest honor for nurses.
Bergin Ericson has worked for 25 years at BWH, and in that time has established herself as a leader and go-to person for the SICU. She is instrumental in educational efforts for nurses and the incorporation of best practices in the SICU. Nurses, residents, doctors and other caregivers often seek her guidance when caring for patients.
In a letter of recommendation, Selwyn Rogers, Jr., MD, MPH, chief of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, noted an instance where Bergin Ericson helped young children deal with the impending death of their young father. “As she held his kids as if she were their mother, I was touched by the power of touch and caring exemplified in that simple act,” he wrote. “She is a role model for the young nurses and residents alike as an example of how the secret of caring for a patient is to care about the patient.”
Bergin Ericson has held staff nurse positions in the SICU, the ICU Nurse Float Pool and the Cardiac Surgical ICU. She is a team leader for the Unit-Based Practice Group for Infection Control and a member of the team developing guidelines to address end-of-life issues in the SICU.
“Ellie’s professional life is where the standards of awards should be set for all,” wrote Gyorgy Frendl, MD, PhD, director of Surgical Critical Care Research, in a letter of recommendation. “When the very best care is delivered without much fanfare and when patients and families alike can feel the competence while being cared for by someone who acts like another family member, nursing perfection is attained.”
The four exemplary finalists for the Essence of Nursing Award are MaryAnne Bennett, BSN, RN, of the NICU; Marian Fitzgerald, RN, of 14AB; Karen Reilly, BSN, MBA, RN, of 12ABC; and Marjorie Rogers, BS, RN, CCRN, of the MICU.
“These nurses are among the very best, and deserve recognition for the excellent care they provide to our patients each day,” said Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services.