Two MCCG Nurses Chosen as Nurse of the Year

Two MCCG Nurses Chosen as Nurse of the Year

March Of Dimes Awards Central Georgia Nurses in Statewide Competition

MACON, GA (Tuesday, December 18, 2012) – Two nurses from The Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG) have been named Nurse of the Year by The March of Dimes. The March Of Dimes Georgia Chapter recognized James Carey, RN, RNC-NNICU, ASN of MCCG's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and Vickey Vaughn, MSN, FNP-C, RNC of MCCG's Labor & Delivery/Women's Services Unit at the Third Annual Nurse of the Year Awards on Saturday, November 17 in Atlanta.

The Nurse of the Year ceremony is a statewide event that recognizes exceptional nurses, crates awareness of professional excellence and promotes the future of the nursing profession. Nurses from across the state and various specialties were recognized for their efforts to provide comfort, care and support to patients in their communities. Sixteen winners who have demonstrated excellence in patient care were announced at the awards dinner.

“Nurses from across the state of Georgia were recognized in 16 specialties. MCCG is honored that our nurses were recognized in two of these categories. James and Vickey provide excellent patient care on a daily basis, and are well-deserving of this honor,” said Judy Paull, Chief Nursing Officer for MCCG.

The March of Dimes accepted nominations for the awards from June 1 to August 1 of this year. More than 750 nominations were submitted from across the state, and from those, over 350 finalists emerged. A volunteer committee conducted a peer review of blinded applications and chose the winners for each category. Nurses were nominated in categories ranging from critical care to women's health

More than 700 people attended the event, raising over $175,000 for The March of Dimes, making the Georgia Nurse of the Year Awards the largest and most successful in the country.

In the attached photo, winners Vickey Vaughn (left) and James Carey (right) stand with MCCG Chief Nursing Officer Judy Paull (center) at the March of Dimes' Third Annual Nurse of the Year Awards ceremony in Atlanta.