ARN Recognizes 5 Members with 2020 Role Awards

During REACH 2020, ARN's annual conference held virtually last month, we announced recipients of the 2020 ARN Role Awards. ARN Role Awards are given for outstanding contributions in various aspects of rehabilitation nursing. They offer members and opportunity to acknowledge their peers and colleagues for their exemplary work and service. Please join us in congratulating and celebrating the following Role Award recipients!

Sharon Hallahan, BSN RN, Case Manager Role Award ​

​The Case Manager Role Award recognizes a nurse who has actively engaged in the advancement of the case manager's role within the rehabilitation field. 

Sharon has been an ARN member since 2012 and has previously served on the Conference Planning Committee. Currently, she works as a rehabilitation nurse case manager at Remed Recovery Care in Paoli, Pennsylvania. To quote her nominator "Sharon is an extraordinary rehabilitation nurse, compassionate caregiver, amazing co-worker, and a true pioneer in long term TBI care and transitions through their life long medical challenges."

Michelle Camicia, PhD RN CCM NEA-BC FAHA FARN, Doctorate-Prepared Researcher Award ​

The Doctorate-Prepared Researcher Award recognizes a rehabilitation nurse who is committed to the advancement of rehabilitation nursing through research.

Nominator Dr. Anita Catlin, manager of nursing research and innovation at Kaiser Permanente, said about her, "Dr. Camicia has a long-standing passion for improving care for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers through practice, research and professional service as a rehabilitation nurse. She has been at the forefront of this field for over two decades…Michelle is always looking for innovation and has 5 research studies addressing the needs of patients and their family caregivers. Her award-winning dissertation work created a caregiver readiness tool which is being piloted throughout 21 California hospitals and in Indonesia."

Mary Pat Murphy, MSN RN CRRN, Nurse Executive Role Award

The Nurse Executive Role Award recognizes a rehabilitation nurse who has contributed to the advancement of rehabilitation nursing care in a high-level administrative role.

Mary Pat is a leader. Her most recent example—and one of the many reasons she received this nomination—was in response to the COVID pandemic. Following state guidelines, Mary Pat made the key decision to suspend all programs and have all group homes stay in "lock down," and all that entailed for staffing across all programs, especially the Day Program and Outpatient clients. She gathered administration, supervisory, and nursing personnel into task forces to update and standardize all policies relating to isolation and how to manage patients who might show symptoms. Once policies were in place, she spearheaded education on proper PPE use; established a "Recovery House" for all positive patients; managed staffing across programs to contain the spread; and guided administration with personnel and staff issues. Mary Pat is the major reason the organization has only had 5 positive patients and only a handful of positive staff during the lockdown. Mary Pat has been a member of ARN since 1981.

Tracy Huffman, BSN RN CRRN, Nurse Manager Role Award 

The Nurse Manager Role Award recognizes a nurse who has contributed to the advancement of rehabilitation nursing care in a middle management position. 

Tracy's nominator made it a point to document Tracy's leadership ability and her push toward excellence in rehabilitation nursing by noting her support of professional development and certification. Staff are encouraged to pursue professional development activities by setting goals, providing funding, and recognizing their successes. As a result of Tracy's efforts, 60% of her eligible staff hold CRRN certification and 30% are in a nurse practitioner program.

Grace Yousif, BSN RN CRRN, Staff Nurse Role Award ​

The Staff Nurse Role Award recognizes outstanding practice by a rehabilitation nurse in a direct patient care role. 

Grace has been a part of the nursing staff at Delray Medical Center for more than 14 years. Grace's nomination included several quotes from colleagues. One colleague wrote "Grace impressed me with her intelligence, her work ethic and outgoing nature. Grace Yousif is a role model to the other nurses as she is knowledgeable, punctual, and willing to take on other responsibilities." A unit Manager wrote "Physicians appreciate her expertise and depend on her assessments and her care of their patients. She routinely interfaces with various physicians, other hospital departments and all members of our Interdisciplinary Team (MD, RNs, Case Managers, Therapists and patients)."

Learn more about ARN Role Awards, including how to nominate your award-worthy colleagues >