Pam Cain, Karen Nelson, Jamie Malone

As seen in the West Central Tribune, Monday, May 13th —Willmar – Three nurses at Rice Memorial Hospital were honored this past week for making a difference in the lives of their patients.

Pam Cain, Karen Nelson and Jamie Malone were chosen by a panel of judges for exemplifying the skills and compassion that nurses bring to patient care. Nominations for the annual award are made by patients and families.

Pam Cain, who was chosen for first place, works in the women’s and children’s unit at Rice. She was nominated by Angela Doyle of Willmar for the care she provided twice — when Doyle’s daughter was born at Rice this past January and when the infant was hospitalized three weeks later with RSV.

Cain was caring and concerned for both mother and baby and never made her feel like an overly anxious parent, Doyle wrote. During her newborn’s hospitalization, Cain “took on the complete care of not one, but two patients, and she did it without question and with unbelievable grace,” she wrote.

After working a night shift, Cain came back on her day off to work another shift because the unit was shorthanded. “I could only imagine how tired she was; however, you’d never, ever know it because she does her job 100 percent so well under any circumstance,” Doyle wrote in her letter of nomination.

Karen Nelson, a peri-operative nurse, was selected for the second-place award. She was nominated by Mary Rinke of Willmar for her care following surgery this past year.

Nelson was attentive and quick to respond to the patient’s needs, Rinke wrote in her nomination letter. “I was comforted by Karen’s stable presence, noting each step and making sure I was informed and comfortable. She added such a sense of peace to the frightening unknown.”

Nelson also connected with her as a person, sharing stories about mutual interests and experiences, Rinke wrote. “I would like Karen to receive this award because she truly deserves it.”

Third place went to Jamie Malone, a nurse with Rice’s Women and Children’s Care unit. The nomination was made by Nichole Lindahl of Spicer, who said Malone “went above and beyond” in caring for her 2-year-old daughter during a hospitalization in February.

Malone was caring, attentive and worked hard to make the hospital stay as comfortable as possible, Lindahl wrote in her letter. “It is very comforting to have a nurse like Jamie worrying about your child and checking with your doctor whenever something doesn’t seem right.”

The award recipients, along with the individuals who nominated them, were honored at a luncheon hosted by Rice Hospital as part of National Nurses Week and the hospital’s annual employee recognition week.