See the winners of St. Louis Magazine's Excellence in Nursing Awards 2017

St. Louis Magazine revealed the winners of the eighth annual Excellence in Nursing Awards at a gala reception Wednesday, April 19, at The Chase Park Plaza.

Presented by Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Magazine’s Excellence in Nursing Awards recognize nurses from institutions across the St. Louis region for their exceptional level of knowledge, passion and dedication to their fields.

This year, more than 200 nominations were reviewed by a distinguished selection committee comprised of respected leaders from such organizations as Mayo Clinic–Florida, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and the University of Missouri. They selected 64 finalists and chose the winners in 19 categories.

In a personal, stirring keynote address before the nearly 500 guests in attendance, Today in St. Louis co-anchor Rene Knott spoke of the dedicated, compassionate nurses who were by his side while he recovered from a life-threatening medical condition.

“As Rene conveyed so eloquently, all of these nurses embody excellence,” said St. Louis Magazine editor-in-chief Jarrett Medlin. “It was an honor to recognize their incredible, inspirational work.”

See the winner below and look for the full Excellence in Nursing feature in the May 2017 issue of St. Louis Magazine, on newsstands beginning May 2. Visit our store to subscribe to St. Louis Magazine.

EMERGING LEADER

Ashley Hrdlicka, St. Anthony’s Medical Center

There’s been little down time for Hrdlicka since she graduated in 2013. She went from being a staff nurse on the oncology floor at St. Anthony’s to becoming the clinical resource nurse for the oncology/neuro-progressive care unit to helping coordinate the neurology stepdown unit. In her spare time, she studies at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College to become a nurse practitioner. And on days off? She sometimes checks in on patients, say a colleague, to ensure that “what she had worked so hard to achieve wasn’t going by the wayside.”

Why she’s a nurse: “I had emergency surgery when I was in second grade. I remember being terrified, but I loved my nurses. It was amazing how comfortable they can make you feel, even at a young age in a hospital. Ultimately, I think that’s what made me decide to be a nurse.”

INTENSIVE CARE

Roxanne Fitzgerald, Barnes-Jewish Hospital

The pager’s buzz was followed by an announcement: “ACT team to Oncology.” Fitzgerald hurried to the room. The patient, a 44-year-old man, was wearing a mask to help with sleep apnea. He was responding to commands, and his vitals were stable, though he seemed drowsy. As the medical team was leaving, Fitzgerald stopped them. “I need a closer look,” she said, removing the patient’s mask. The left side of his face was drooping slightly. “How was he acting?” she asked his wife. “Now that you mention it, he kept dropping his phone.” A quick scan revealed a brain hemorrhage. The medical team rushed him to the ICU, where he underwent life-saving treatment. “You just saved his life!” a colleague later exclaimed.  “Isn’t that what we do?” Fitzgerald replied.

On wanting to be a nurse: “[Years ago,] one of the kids who was skateboarding in our court hit the floor and had a compound fracture of his arm. I ran in the house, grabbed a yardstick, fabric, scissors, and a few other things. My mom asked, ‘What are you doing?’ and I said, ‘This kid just broke his arm, and I’m going to go set it.’ ‘We’re calling 911. You are not setting someone’s arm—you’re 8.’”

NURSE ADMINISTRATION

Robyn Weilbacher, Mercy Hospital St. Louis

Among the countless patients Weilbacher’s helped over more than 30 years at Mercy, perhaps her relationship with one—a quadriplegic, like her brother— best exemplifies her approach to the job. “I didn’t do a lot, but there were things that were very important to him: sending him a card every week; making sure he was OK; if I was shopping for myself, I’d pick up a few things for him,” says Weilbacher, the chief nursing officer at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. “To me, it didn’t feel like going above and beyond, but after he passed away, his family kept all the cards, and they still contact me.”

On the job’s biggest challenge: “Responding to nursing shortage, keeping great nurses at the bedside.”

Advice to new nurses: “Spend the first six to 12 months after you graduate nursing just learning your trade; then, from there, decide what you want to do, and it’s going to be so much easier.”

ACUTE CARE/FAMILY PRACTICE/GENERAL MEDICINE

Amy Flakes, Mercy Hospital St. Louis

Flakes knew from age 5—when she began helping care for her aunt, who sustained severe brain damage at birth when the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck—that she wanted to become a nurse. “Growing up, it felt like I was always caring for her,” Flakes says. Perhaps it was that same altruistic spirit that led her to volunteer to transfer to a growing neuroscience unit that had doubled in size. “Her engaging leadership style and quiet demand for excellence is moving the bar,” notes a colleague. “The staff is engaged and expressing joy to have Amy as their leader. Patient experience scores have dramatically increased. Staff huddles are interactive, with great input from the frontline staff.”

On the job’s biggest challenge: “Wanting to give more—feeling like there’s not enough time in the day sometimes to give 100 percent to your patients.”

On handling stress: “We have a very serious job—literally life-and-death—but we try to have fun when we can and celebrate the small wins.”

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PEDIATRICS: NON-NEONATAL

Michael Czajka, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

An anonymous parent, per the nomination, recalls how Czajka would lift the young patient’s spirits, sometimes becoming the target for water syringe wars. “Michael would sit down next to [my son] and talk to him as a kid, as a person, with such compassion and sincerity,” says the parent. A pediatric nurse practitioner in the cardiology department at Cardinal Glennon, Czajka takes time with every patient. “I looked forward to him coming in every day,” recalls another young patient’s parent. “When Michael walked in the room, it was like he was the only one there. Our child followed him wherever he went. That is when I knew that he would have a special part in her care—he treated her like she was his own.” 

Advice for young nurses: “Most nursing students want to move on, but the best advice I have is to work for multiple years at the bedside with the family. Do the work of caring for patients. A floor nurse is the most important job in the hospital. You are the person who has the most direct contact with the patient and their family.”

On a nurse’s role: “From admittance to discharge, I’m the continuity of care for patients and families.”

HOSPICE/HOME HEALTH/PALLIATIVE CARE/LONG-TERM CARE

Erin Kirwan, Missouri Baptist Medical Center

Kirwan would like to debunk a mischaracterization of her line of work: Palliative care is not a death sentence, and her role is improving people’s quality of life, not necessarily easing patients into the last days of life. “So many more people are living with chronic illnesses,” she says. “We are trying to get involved earlier in that process and help people concurrently with their treatments.” Before becoming a nurse, she was a social worker and hospice volunteer, so she understands the importance of attending to a patient’s body and spirit.

On the importance of the work: “This job allows me to be a part of people’s lives at their most vulnerable. It’s scary sometimes to deal with life and mortality, but it’s humbling to be a part of those conversations with families. There aren’t many jobs that let you interact with your fellow human beings on that level.”

COMMUNITY CARE/AMBULATORY CARE

Dawn Brandenberg, Mercy Clinic

“I began when everything was on paper, and now everything is electronic,” Brandenberg says. She recalls treating postoperative patients years ago: “It’s hard to imagine, but not everyone was put on a monitor when they came out of surgery. It was only the patients who had a known heart condition that we would put on a monitor.” Nowadays, as supervisor for outpatient care management, Brandenberg makes home visits while caring for seniors, who are often happy to see her. “They don’t like to be burdensome to their family, so we’re seeing them at their worst,” she says. “Helping them overcome that is very rewarding.”

On a positive attitude: “It’s crucial. Patients must know you’re there for them.” 

On the job’s most difficult aspect: “Losing patients. No matter if you took care of them for a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks, it still hits you pretty hard.”

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CARDIOVASCULAR

Kathryn Pickering, Mercy Hospital St. Louis

Pickering was inspired to enter the field by her mother, who is a nurse: “I feel very fortunate; at a very young age I knew I wanted to get into nursing, do something where I could help people,” she says. Today, at Mercy Hospital’s 16-bed cardiovascular intensive care unit, Pickering cares for patients who’ve sustained life-changing events (heart attack, cardiac arrest) and undergo complex procedures (bypass, amputation). But even a bit of recognition—such as being nominated for the hospital’s DAISY Award—can remind Pickering of the big effects that her day-to-day tasks can exert: “I sometimes forget the impact I can have on an individual’s life. To see something in writing on how I made someone feel was incredible.”

On challenges: “Bringing a sense of calm to such a stressful environment is very important. Working in an ICU can be very overwhelming at times. Not only the patient, but also the patient’s family has to be catered to.”

MEDICAL-SURGICAL NURSING

Carey Kettler, Barnes-Jewish Hospital

After starting her career on a liver transplant surgery floor, Kettler became an RN clinical nurse coordinator in 1998 for the hepatology program at Barnes-Jewish, which treats patients with acute and chronic liver disease. Nearly 20 years later, she’s built lasting relationships with her colleagues, and they’ve become a competent, cohesive team. “Between my physicians and the nursing staff, we have a very tight-knit group,” she says. “I’ve been here so long because I’ve enjoyed the people I work with and the challenges of dealing with this patient population.”

On handling stress: “I have confidence in my knowledge and the physicians I work with, and I relay that to patients. I probably carry more stress than I should, but I’ve been doing it for so long that I’m used to it.”

On the job’s rewards: “It’s very heartwarming to see someone have a positive outcome, whether they were able to get rid of hepatitis C or they’re feeling great after a liver transplant or their cancer treatment’s going well.”

RESEARCH

Carol Recklein, Washington University School of Medicine

Specializing in type I diabetes, Recklein coordinates research and oversees clinical trials for Washington University’s Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research. She contributes to investigator-initiated and pharmaceutical trials—but that’s just the start. She’s “met patients off hours, at their homes or workplaces, to complete research-related tasks,” notes a Wash. U. physician. “She takes patient concerns to heart and goes above and beyond research-related duties.”

On her job: “We are basically detectives: Patients come in with all their blood sugars, and we have to look for patterns, interview patients, listen for the little things they don’t tell. Our job is to put together the whole story. I’m a dot collector—I connect all the dots.”

On how the field is evolving: “I’ve been involved in every major drug for diabetes that’s on the market—it’s kind of history-making… We’re going to see a lot of changes in technology and medicine over the next five years, and it’s very exciting to be a part of it.”

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ONCOLOGY

Cathy Scott, Washington University School of Medicine

“We had a patient who came into the treatment center for their scheduled chemo,” recalls one of Scott’s colleagues. “The patient did not look well. The M.D. was notified and wanted the patient to continue with treatment in the outpatient infusion center. Cathy’s instinct told her the patient needed more immediate help. The patient was sent to the emergency room for further evaluation. He had accidentally taken too much pain medication, and he was safely stabilized in the ER.”

On her advice to new nurses: “When you find your niche, you’ll know. You’ll become passionate and want to learn, grow, and excel. Never become stagnant—always challenge yourself and continue your education.”

On handling stress: “The challenges we may be facing can seem really small compared to a patient’s fight with cancer.”

On her colleagues: “I am often in awe of the brilliance that I am surrounded by. It is the amazing people I work with and admire who propel me to work even harder.”

PEDIATRICS: NEONATAL

Lori Winkler, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

Winkler has been known to stop people in the supermarket to tell them about infant safety. “Sometimes I joke that I stalk pregnant moms,” she says. “One time, it was around midnight, and I saw a mom and dad in Walmart, and I asked them when they planned to let that child sleep.” It is, after all, Winkler’s job to educate new parents: She’s coalition coordinator for Safe Kids St. Louis, led by Cardinal Glennon. Winkler teaches parents and grandparents about everything from carseat safety to CPR to sleep protocols.

On the importance of volunteering: “I believe nurses have to give back to the community. As long as I’m able, I will give up my time.”

On educating new parents: “Babies are not sent home with a textbook on how to take care of them. It’s my responsibility as a nurse to give families helpful information. I would stand on the street corner just to tell people, ‘Don’t let your baby sleep in bed with you.’”

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Helen Sandkuhl, SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital

A 2013 winner of the Excellence in Nursing Awards, Sandkuhl is nicknamed  the “Matriarch of the ER.” (Her official title is director of emergency, trauma, and disaster services.) Her desire to serve others has taken her from Joplin to Haiti to the Gulf Coast. And she’s been humbled herself, including the day five years ago that her colleagues saved her after a heart attack. That same year, she was instrumental in bringing Andrew Oberle, the young St. Louisan attacked by chimpanzees in South Africa, back to the U.S. She cared for him herself, even feeding him chicken fettuccine. (“I come from a very Italian family on The Hill,” she says, “so Sunday dinners are important.”) These days, much of her time is spent on large-scale managerial projects, such as the redesign of the hospital’s emergency department, slated to open in 2020. Still, when she does walk the hospital halls, her presence is felt. “It’s like a special energy is walking through, making everyone from the physicians to the cleaning staff feel special,” says a colleague. “That’s Helen.”

On her passion for the job: “I’ve never had a day I came to work that I didn’t want to be there.”

EDUCATOR

Kristine L’Ecuyer, Saint Louis University School of Nursing

L’Ecuyer is a nurse’s nurse. She’s not only an educator at Saint Louis University but also an advocate for nurses in the field. “Nurses have a depth of understanding of the problems in healthcare and patient care delivery beyond [that of] most professions,” she says. “They need to be at the table and on every committee.” She sees a growing need for clinical nurse leaders (a role she teaches students at SLU), who help medical teams integrate the latest technologies while treating patients. “We need leadership at the bedside more than ever,” she says.

On being a teacher: “The opportunity to meet new students every year who are excited to be nurses and eager to learn everything they can is really motivating.”

On TV medical dramas: “They do often remind us about the crazy things we deal with and hopefully show others that healthcare settings have a unique and demanding culture. The shows are only realistic in that way. There is way more interpersonal drama on these shows than in reality.”

NEUROLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY/BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Karen Brown, Washington University School of Medicine

When she was young, Brown was a candy striper at a local hospital. She knew in high school that she wanted to be a nurse. “It was for two reasons: I like helping people, and job security,” Brown says. “Nursing will always be a field that’s in need.” Today, after 14 years in the field, she’s an adult nurse practitioner in neurosurgery, having cared for thousands of patients and treated such life-threatening conditions as hemorrhages and infections.

Advice to new nurses: “If a new nurse is coming out of school, the first thing they should do is go to a med/surg floor, just to learn the basics of triage, efficiency, and getting the workflow under their belts.”

On handling stress: “If it really bothers me, I’ll talk about it; then I won’t go back—I’ll just move on and learn from it. You can’t harbor stress for a long period of time, because that just weighs you down.”

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ORTHOPEDICS

Jennifer Ledbetter, Washington University School of Medicine

With a degree in exercise science, Ledbetter was once a trainer. Then one of her clients had a heart attack. After rushing the person to the emergency department, she found herself seeking other ways to help. And so, at age 23, she enrolled in nursing school. “I wanted to know more about what just happened,” recalls Ledbetter, who’s now a family nurse practitioner caring for children with spinal deformities.

On the job’s challenges: “We take in some really sick kids. For some, surgery is lifesaving, and the risks of complications or even death are real. Sometimes the biggest challenge is explaining this to families and doing everything in your power to make sure these kids don’t have major complications. The hardest thing is doing all you can and hoping it’s enough.”

On the job’s rewards: “Successfully getting families through what is probably the hardest thing their kid has been through—and probably the hardest thing they’ve ever been through as a parent. I give them a shoulder to cry on, help them understand what’s really going on, and reassure them it’s going to be OK.”

SCHOOL

Lisa Stadler, Notre Dame High School

As a school nurse, Stadler is used to unpredictable days. A sampling of her responsibilities: Ensuring that a diabetic student’s blood sugar is regulated to make the hour-plus bus ride home. Making accommodations—a lowered locker, for instance—for a student recovering from a torn ACL. Developing a wellness plan for faculty and staff. Meeting with the Notre Dame Care Team to assist students going through difficult times. Such tasks make a lasting impact, as a former student once told Stadler’s sister, a teacher at another school. “When they met on the job,” Stadler recalls, “she told my sister, ‘I would have not made it through school without your sister.’”

Why she’s a nurse: “My sophomore year in high school, I was in a really bad car accident. I was at Cardinal Glennon for three weeks, and I was so impressed with the care I got. I thought, ‘Wow. I want to do this, too. I want to give back.’”

WOMEN'S HEALTH

Margeaux Thomas, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital–St. Louis

“I haven’t been Margeaux’s patient for almost four years,” writes a former patient, describing how Thomas comforted her after she lost a child—and rejoiced with her when her later children arrived. “She lives hours away and sends our kiddos gifts and attends special events. I don’t think I would be the person I am today if it wasn’t for her. She will never know how much she means to me. Who would have thought you could build a strong friendship from such a sad experience in a hospital?”

On making patients comfortable: “For some patients who need long stays, it’s depressing to know they will be in a white-walled room for three months. We try to make it feel a little more like home. We bring in their own pillows and pictures and let them meet with other patients. They often become friends and a support system for each other.”

On a good day: “When I walk outside and think to myself, ‘I feel good about the care I provided. I made a positive difference in someone’s life when they were going through an unexpected and uncomfortable time.’”

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ADVANCED PRACTICE

Fiona Aronberg, Quincy Medical Group

Aronberg is always looking for ways to help others. She grew up in Singapore, studied in Switzerland, and emigrated to the U.S., where she became an advanced practice nurse. Recently, she volunteered to oversee a trauma program with limited resources. She even earned a pilot’s license, helping transport medical volunteers during disaster relief missions. “Sometimes her surgical skills even surpass what could be considered reasonable,” says one physician, noting the time that she treated a gunshot victim by applying direct pressure for so long, her hand went numb. Yet by the time the patient arrived in the ICU, the bleeding had stopped. “Not only was the patient’s arm saved, but so was the patient’s life,” says the doctor. “Such is the stuff of Ms. Aronberg.”

On the job’s prestige: “Nurses are revered around the world—and I can say that because I’ve had experience working around the world.”

On APNs: “Advanced practice nurses want to have as much authority as we can with our patients in collaboration with doctors. We aren’t trying to take their jobs away; we are extenders to the doctors.”

FINALISTS

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Acute Care/Family Practice/General Medicine

• Susan Androff, SLUCare Physician Group
• Sandy Choate, SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital–Wentzville
• Amy Flakes, Mercy Hospital St. Louis
• Kelli Fuller, Saint Louis University School of Nursing

Advanced Practice

• Fiona Aronberg, Quincy Medical Group
• Jane Exler, Washington University School of Medicine
• Leila Othman, Barnes–Jewish Hospital

Cardiovascular

• Radhika Gilmore, Barnes–Jewish Hospital
• Stephanie Lickerman, St. Luke’s Hospital
• Kathryn Pickering, Mercy Hospital St. Louis
• Karen Wray, St. Anthony’s Medical Center

Community Care/Ambulatory Care

• Susan Androff, SLUCare Physician Group
• Dawn Brandenberg, Mercy Clinic
• Cheryl Cress, Washington University School of Medicine
• Kathleen McDarby, St. Louis Children’s Hospital

Educator

• Kristine L’Ecuyer, Saint Louis University School of Nursing
• Elizabeth “Liz” Mantych, University of  Missouri–St. Louis
• Judy Marlow, Missouri Baptist Medical Center
• Karen Moore, Saint Louis University School of Nursing

Emergency Department

• Judy Cowell, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
• Kim Garrett, St. Luke’s Hospital
• Karen Osborne, SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital–Lake Saint Louis
• Helen Sandkuhl, SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
• Pamela Wofford, St. Louis Children’s Hospital

Emerging Leader

• Joshua Fender, Barnes–Jewish Hospital
• Ashley Hrdlicka, St. Anthony’s Medical Center

Hospice/Home Health/Palliative Care/Long-Term Care

• April Huff, St. Anthony’s Medical Center
• Erin Kirwan, Missouri Baptist Medical Center

Intensive Care

• Roxanne Fitzgerald, Barnes–Jewish Hospital
• Mary McCoy, Mercy Hospital St. Louis
• Rebecca Nelson, St. Anthony’s Medical Center

Medical-Surgical Nursing

• April Joyce, SSM Health DePaul Hospital–St. Louis
• Carey Kettler, Barnes–Jewish Hospital
• Sarah Linkous, Barnes–Jewish West County Hospital
• Kelly Papagianis, SSM Health DePaul Hospital–St. Louis
• Yvonne Rieger, Barnes–Jewish Hospital

Neurology/Psychology/Behavioral Health

• Karen Brown, Washington University School of Medicine
• Ashley Fasciola, Washington University School of Medicine

Nurse Administration

• Cheryl Boone, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital–St. Louis
• Jennifer Schwartz, Mercy Hospital St. Louis
• Elaine Thomas-Horton, Barnes–Jewish Hospital
• Robyn Weilbacher, Mercy Hospital St. Louis

Oncology

• Dawn Busch, Washington University School of Medicine
• Brenda Hall, Washington University School of Medicine
• Cathy Scott, Washington University School of Medicine
• Jodi Thole, Barnes–Jewish Hospital

Orthopedics

• Stephanie Hanneken, Washington University School of Medicine
• Stephanie Lawler, Mercy Hospital St. Louis
• Jennifer Ledbetter, Washington University School of Medicine

Pediatrics: Neonatal

• Shelly Allen, Mercy Hospital St. Louis
• Juanita Allmon, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
• Lori Winkler, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

Pediatrics: Non-Neonatal

• Stephanie Ackerman, Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital
• Michael Czajka, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
• Mary Howell, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
• Maria Pourney, St. Louis Children’s Hospital

Research

• Kathryn Lindsay, Saint Louis University School of Medicine
• Carol Recklein, Washington University School of Medicine

School

• Michelle Fox, Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS)
• Jane Sinnott, McKelvey Elementary School, Parkway School District
• Lisa Stadler, Notre Dame High School

Women's Health

• Chris Adams, Missouri Baptist Medical Center
• Rebecca Stang, Mercy Hospital  St. Louis
• Margeaux Thomas, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital–St. Louis

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SPECIAL THANKS TO THE SELECTION COMMITTEE

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Nina Bakke, Executive Director, Missouri League for Nursing

Ann Cary, Dean, University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Nursing and Health Studies 

Patricia Davidson, Dean, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Karen Drenkard, Chief Clinical Officer and Chief Nurse, GetWellNetwork 

Shirley Farrah, Assistant Dean, Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri–Columbia  

Debra Harrison, Chief Nursing Officer Emeritus, Mayo Clinic–Florida

Phyllis Arn Zimmer, President, Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation