Bonnie Schmidt Named Top 10 Finalist for Award

Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican home health nurse, Bonnie Schmidt, has been named as a top 10 finalist for the National Association for Home Health & Hospice's (NAHC) Home Care & Hospice Nurse of the Year award. Bonnie was originally chosen in the top 50 as Nevada's finalist, and was chosen by a panel of experts to be in the top 10.

Nursing is our nation’s most trusted profession, says the latest Gallup poll of Honesty/Ethics in Professions. This finding comes as no surprise since nurses have topped the list for 14 of the past 15 years. To honor their achievements, NAHC and its affiliate Home Healthcare Nurses Association (HHNA) have held their third-annual Nurse Recognition Program. This year, like previous years, thousands of agencies nationwide sent in nominations for America’s top home care and hospice nurses. The 50 state winners were featured or their clinical skills and their compassion.

Schmidt’s nomination on NAHC’s website reads: “I'm Bonnie Schmidt, and I'm a nurse at Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican’s Home Health Services in Las Vegas, Nevada. My 51-year-old patient, Karla Ward, is a quadriplegic and has been bed bound for eight years. When she was admitted to home care, she suffered from frequent UTIs [urinary tract infections] and bed sores. To cut down on her many hospitalizations, I gave her wound care, skin care, and Foley catheter care. I also tried to improve her nutrition and uplift her spirits. She calls me her “sporty nurse” because I tell her about my bicycling and hiking adventures. Sometimes I also bring my baby desert tortoise to see her. And I'm glad to report she is making far fewer hospital visits. The good news for her is she hasn't been there in 20 months. And that’s good news for me because we laugh and share many things, including our belief in nursing.”

“We couldn't agree more with the NAHC’s decision to choose Bonnie for this recognition,” said Rod Davis, senior vice president of operations, Dignity Health Nevada. “Bonnie is an extraordinary home health nurse and shows compassion with all of her patients on a minute-by-minute basis. This award encompasses our Hello humankindness movement and we are so proud of Bonnie’s achievement.”