Four recognized as 2023 Aurora Health Care Nurses of the Year

Rich Palzewic

Staff

January 24, 2024

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN — Four Northeastern Wisconsin nurses — Carly Krueger, Stephanie Lindquist, Shayla Luckow and Erin Murphy — were recently recognized as 2023 Aurora Health Care Nurses of the Year in their respective regions.

Krueger (Oshkosh), Lindquist (Marinette), Luckow (Manitowoc) and Murphy (Green Bay) came from a pool of more than 750 nominations statewide on behalf of nurses from a variety of specialties across the patient care continuum.

According to Aurora Health Care, the nurses represent diversity in their backgrounds and experiences, including honorees with decades of experience and others new to the profession.

Nominations were submitted by clinicians and teammates and reviewed by peer committees for blind judging of each nominee’s passion for patient care, commitment to service, solution-oriented abilities and evidence-based practice.

“Advocate Health nurses deliver exceptional, evidence-based and equitable care to help all patients live fully,” Jane Dus, chief nursing officer of Advocate Health-Midwest region, said. “However, it’s their ability to bring their most authentic selves to work each day that lets us bear witness to the compassionate and driven individuals they are. It is a true honor to celebrate this excellence in action.”

Aurora Health Care is part of Advocate Health, which employs more than 42,000 nurses across the nation, including 27 acute care facilities and more than 500 Midwest care sites.

Carly Krueger

?Krueger is a registered nurse in the emergency department at Aurora Medical Center-Oshkosh.

“It is truly humbling to receive such an honor,” she said. “It is the countless people I have encountered in my career — patients, teammates, leadership — I credit this award to. I thank God for every one of them and the impact they have had on my life and profession.”

Krueger said she is a preceptor in the emergency department, mentoring new graduate RNs and experienced RNs alike.

“My older brother was born with a significant medical condition, which taught me from a young age to have compassion and care for others,” she said. “My 3K preschool teacher wrote on my report card (which I still have) that ‘Carly is going to be a nurse when she grows up.’ I have never seriously considered doing anything else as a profession.”

Growing up in Cudahy, Krueger said she attended Milwaukee School of Engineering School of Nursing.

“I worked in SICU (surgical intensive care unit) and PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee and then moved to Stevens Point where I began my emergency department career and fell in love with emergency nursing,” she said. “I have been an ER nurse for more than six years and cannot see myself doing anything else.”

In the trauma program, Krueger said she also assists with data abstraction, quality improvement initiatives, survey readiness, committee work and supply management.

“The people I have the opportunity to care for and work with are what I love about nursing,” she said. “Every shift is filled with opportunities to be and receive a blessing.”

Krueger said she passed her Certified Emergency Nurse certification in December, which validates that nurses have accumulated the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform high-level emergency nursing care.

“I’m content right now,” she said. “At this time, I have no further plans to further my education.”

Stephanie Lindquist

?Lindquist is a registered nurse specializing in intensive care at Aurora Medical Center-Bay Area in Marinette.

“I have a hard time putting into words what the Nurse of the Year Award means to me,” Lindquist said. “To put it simply, it is special. There are so many deserving nurses I work beside every day. I wouldn’t be the nurse I am today without the help of my teammates.”

Lindquist said she is a member of the pressure injury and fall prevention teams and a transfer mobility coach — collaborating with a teammate to produce training videos on the safe use of transfer equipment.

Lindquist has also created a video and tip sheet for her peers and the emergency department on arterial-line placement.

“When I was a little girl, I never dreamt about becoming a nurse, however, I have always had a passion for helping people,” she said. “During college, one day while at work, I overheard a presentation in the room next to me. It was a paramedic explaining his job and how he helped people.”

This, Lindquist said, was the turning point in her schooling.

“That was when I knew I wanted to work in acute care,” she said. “I wanted to help people when they needed help most. I am happy with the route I chose, and I can genuinely say I love my job.”

To further help her colleagues, Lindquist said she is collaborating with other nurses on a project to increase patient mobility and encourage prompt and safe ambulation of hospitalized patients.

Growing up in Marinette, Lindquist and her husband have three boys together.

She said it means a lot to her to raise her family where she grew up.

“We plan to continue to raise them here in the Marinette area, as we love where we are from,” she said.

Lindquist said she received her associate nursing degree from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and went on to complete her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB).

“I started my career at Aurora nine years ago as a nurse extern,” she said. “Shortly after, I started as an RN on the medical surgical floor, where I hold a medical surgical certification and currently work in the ICU where I have been in my role going on four years.”

Lindquist said her near future plans include obtaining her PCCN (progressive care certified nurse) certification.

“I love where I work, what I do and who I care for — I am nowhere near ready to leave the bedside nor leave my current role,” she said. “At some point, my long-term plan is to obtain my DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) with hopes to someday work alongside hospitalists on the inpatient side of acute care.”

Lindquist said her favorite part of nursing is connecting with her patients on a personal level.

“Whether it be connecting over sports, family, vacationing or dogs – our patients are so much more than their diagnosis,” she said. “Getting to know them as a person helps build trust, and you learn what’s important to them. I want my patients to know I genuinely care about them. I care about their wants, their needs and goals. I will be one of their strongest advocates and support persons while under our care.”

Nicole Swanson, chief nursing officer at Aurora Medical Center, said “Lindquist exemplifies what it means to be Nurse of the Year.”

“She is incredibly deserving of this recognition,” she said. “The compassionate, individualized care Stephanie provides each patient is exactly why she has received this accolade, as well as the six DAISY nominations she has earned over the years. We are so grateful she has chosen to showcase her skills at Aurora Medical Center-Bay Area.”

Shayla Luckow

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?Luckow is a supervisor in the intensive care step-down unit at Aurora Medical Center-Manitowoc County.

“I was surprised and had no idea (I’d receive the award),” she said. “This is something I can hang my hat on for the rest of my nursing career — it’s a big honor. I put a lot of work into my job and the extra roles I do to give the best care to our community.”

Luckow said she is involved in shared governance as the practice council chair and also chairs her area coordinating council, leading monthly meetings that support and encourage team engagement.

Almost 10 years ago, she said she began her career in the kitchen and then worked as a certified nursing assistant, progressing to a nurse extern and eventually earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing — now working toward board certification and has completed the ExCEL-RN program, attaining Level B, professional development program for registered nurses.

“My mom is a nurse, so I knew in high school (Two Rivers) that I wanted to go into health care,” Luckow said. “I began in the kitchen my senior year in high school and then went to Lakeshore Technical College before graduating from UWGB with my BSN. By starting in the kitchen, it set me up for other opportunities — it got my foot in the door.”

Luckow said there are so many things to love about nursing.

“Every day, I learn something new and meet someone new — not many other jobs get to say that,” she said. “That’s probably my favorite thing about nursing.”

Cheryl Stoeckigt Parra, chief nursing officer at Aurora Medical Center-Manitowoc County, said “Luckow is a compassionate nurse with a wealth of wisdom.”

“Shayla’s story of personal growth over the past decade is inspiring,” she said. “She imparts her compassion and wisdom on our new nurses, mentoring them as they begin their nursing journey. She is helping to shape the next generation of nurses.”

Erin Murphy

?Murphy is a certified ambulatory perianesthesia nurse at Aurora BayCare Medical Center-Green Bay.

“It was unexpected but a wonderful feeling to know I can make a difference,” Murphy said of the award. “Working with patients is my favorite part — making an impact and making them feel more relaxed during a stressful time.”

Murphy said she came to the post-anesthesia care unit as a new graduate from Bellin College in 2010.

“This breaks down to me being with the pre-op and post-op patients,” she said. “There’s never a dull moment — every day is different. You have to use your critical thinking, and it’s never boring — I can’t do boring, and I like the change every day.”

Initially, in 2010, Murphy said it was hard to get a nursing job.

“So, I took what I could get at the time,” she said. “I’ve had an offer at the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), but Iíve fallen in love with the anesthesia care unit. I have no plans to leave.”

Murphy said her mom gave her sound advice when pursuing her career, and it’s helped guide her in the years since.

“I feel like I’m an expert on the unit,” she said. “My mom was a leader in the business world, and she’s always told me, ‘you need to have experts in different areas for others to come to.”

As co-chair of the Surgical Services Patient Experience Committee, Murphy said she implemented a “ready to discharge” checklist that has greatly increased patient satisfaction.

She said she is also collaborating with teammates to improve discharge instructions for Spanish and Hmong-speaking patients to improve care after discharge.

“Iíve always had a love of science,” Murphy said. “I initially wanted to be a doctor, but ultimately, I chose nursing. Doctors help manage the disease, while nurses help manage the patients.”

Aurora BayCare is on the journey to MagnetÆ recognition thanks to Murphy’s efforts as champion chair, Heather Schroeder, vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer at Aurora BayCare Medical Center, said.

“I am proud of what Erin has already accomplished in her career,” she said. “She tirelessly works to improve the lives of our patients and community through enhancing the patient experience and serving as a champion for her fellow nurses. She has made a tremendous impact at Aurora BayCare, and I’m excited to continue watching her grow.”