Bon Secours Hampton Roads was honored to have nurses recognized at the September 9 Gala of the Virginia Nurses Association and the Virginia Nurses Foundation. Jenna Best, Nurse Manager in the intensive care unit at Bon Secours Southampton Medical Center in Franklin, Va. was recognized as a Top 40 under 40 Trailblazer. Magdalys (Maggie) Ortiz, acute rehab unit clinical care lead at Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va. was recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 Award Winner.
“Winning this award is truly an honor,” Best said. “I owe a huge thank you to my nursing leaders, Kim Warren and Cassandra Lewis, who have instilled confidence in me as a new nurse leader throughout this past year. They continue to foster my development and I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support. For that I will forever be grateful.”
“Nursing is a challenging but rewarding profession,” Best continued. “I would encourage my fellow nurses to be humble and never be afraid to ask questions. Go to work every day with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn something new. Never be afraid to speak up for your patients; you are their biggest advocate. Lastly, don’t lose sight of why you became a nurse.”
Best initially started out as a cardiac stepdown/post-open heart nurse. She decided to explore her options as nurse in the Emergency Room. However, she missed being at the bedside and I wanted to be able to see my patients progress. The ICU offers complex patients and challenges nurses to use your critical thinking skills every day. There are opportunities to utilize a multi-disciplinary approach and collaborate with other healthcare professionals to develop the best plan of care for patients.
Ortiz stated she was “very humbled and honored to receive this award.” She said she works very hard to be the best version of myself so that she can help her team the best way possible. “I don’t think this would have been possible without a variety of nurse mentors that I have had throughout my career and the leadership of MMC’s acute rehab unit. They have been very supportive of me throughout the years and now that I’m back in school for my Doctorate in Nursing Practice,” said Ortiz.
Ortiz’s advice to other nurses is to remember that self-care it’s very important. “You cannot help others if your cup is empty,” she advised. She reflects on her upbringing, which shaped her compassionate nature as a nurse. “I come from a Catholic Puerto Rican family, who the matriarchs of the family were caregivers. I still recall from a very young age that my grandmother and mother would bring me along while they took care of my great-grandfather, who was blind and very elderly at the time. Growing up in my family I saw how they cared for each other and for people within their community that needed help. I was taught to help people — no questions asked.”
“Winning this award is truly an honor,” Best said. “I owe a huge thank you to my nursing leaders, Kim Warren and Cassandra Lewis, who have instilled confidence in me as a new nurse leader throughout this past year. They continue to foster my development and I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support. For that I will forever be grateful.”
“Nursing is a challenging but rewarding profession,” Best continued. “I would encourage my fellow nurses to be humble and never be afraid to ask questions. Go to work every day with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn something new. Never be afraid to speak up for your patients; you are their biggest advocate. Lastly, don’t lose sight of why you became a nurse.”
Best initially started out as a cardiac stepdown/post-open heart nurse. She decided to explore her options as nurse in the Emergency Room. However, she missed being at the bedside and I wanted to be able to see my patients progress. The ICU offers complex patients and challenges nurses to use your critical thinking skills every day. There are opportunities to utilize a multi-disciplinary approach and collaborate with other healthcare professionals to develop the best plan of care for patients.
Ortiz stated she was “very humbled and honored to receive this award.” She said she works very hard to be the best version of myself so that she can help her team the best way possible. “I don’t think this would have been possible without a variety of nurse mentors that I have had throughout my career and the leadership of MMC’s acute rehab unit. They have been very supportive of me throughout the years and now that I’m back in school for my Doctorate in Nursing Practice,” said Ortiz.
Ortiz’s advice to other nurses is to remember that self-care it’s very important. “You cannot help others if your cup is empty,” she advised. She reflects on her upbringing, which shaped her compassionate nature as a nurse. “I come from a Catholic Puerto Rican family, who the matriarchs of the family were caregivers. I still recall from a very young age that my grandmother and mother would bring me along while they took care of my great-grandfather, who was blind and very elderly at the time. Growing up in my family I saw how they cared for each other and for people within their community that needed help. I was taught to help people — no questions asked.”