Ever hear of the GEM Awards?

A national program developed by Nurse.com to promote the overall nursing mission of excellence, the GEM Awards highlight the most prestigious nursing professionals in the nation. The awards focus on the leadership, management, education, volunteerism, inpatient care and community care that leads these professionals each and every day – and 3 of our very own employees have been nominated. Meet our nominees! 

Gail Probst, MSN, RN, APN, OCN, AOCN, NE-BC

Nominated for her Excellence in Education and Mentorship, Probst is the Director of Cancer Services, Nursing, at Huntington Hospital. Responsible for the oversight of all the cancer services in the 400-bed facility, the first oncology unit took shape under her organization and she developed all oncology policies and procedures. She received state recognition for her work in widening cancer prevention opportunities for women’s health screenings, and advocated for resources for those who did not have the financial means to follow up on breast abnormalities. Her accomplishments range from overseeing the oncology core curriculum for new nurses, to psych-educational support programs, to volunteering in all community outreach programs. 

Marianne DiStefano, MSN, RNC, IBCLC

Nominated for her Excellence in Management, DiStefano is the Senior Director of Patient Care Services, Nursing Administration, at Staten Island University Hospital.  Credited with taking the lead to move forward with electronic health record implementation, she drove her staff members into the future of electronic documentation with patience and constant encouragement. Her accomplishments range from achieving baby-friendly designation, to initiating bereavement education and perinatal bereavement practices, to leading the interdisciplinary obstetrical hemorrhage protocol. 

Meet the Excellence in Management Award Winner – Laura Iacono! 

Awarded to an RN who makes significant contributions to the management, supervision, or direction of the environment of care and the performance of staff, demonstrating an ability to lead, influence and improve outcomes of care in any inpatient or outpatient setting.

Laura Iacono, MSN, CCRN, CNRN, CNML

Winner of the Excellence in Management Award, Iacono is the Nurse Manager of the Neurosurgical ICU at North Shore University Hospital. Her passion for staff development, professionalism and empowerment has resulted in her unit’s achievement of more than 50% improvement in staff certification and her staff achievement of clinical ladder status has improved from 0% to more than 63%. While managing such a prestigious unit, Iacono is also on the clinical advisory board at a local university school of nursing, showing the dedication she has to the nursing profession and helping others. 

Congratulations to our 2016 GEM Award nominees and to Laura Iacono for winning the Excellence in Management Award!