HISTORY
The
Panhandle Great 25 Nurses celebration originally stemmed from an idea
by Dr. Valerie Kiper, a registered nurse and nurse leader in the Texas
Panhandle after learning about the 25 year success of the DFW Great 100
Nurses. Several local healthcare facilities and professional nursing
organizations were holding individual celebrations including Texas
Nurses Association- District 2. In 2015, Dr. Kiper formed a local nurse
leader group from several of the Texas Panhandle healthcare facilities,
nursing organizations, local nursing schools and school districts to
explore the creation of a similar event in the Texas Panhandle inspired
by the DFW Great 100 Nurses, and to also carry on the rich tradition of
TNA-District 2’s Hall of Fame banquet which began in 1999.
Richard Pullen,
EdD, MSN, RN, CMSRN, CNE-cl, CNE, ANEF, Carolyn Witherspoon, BSN, RN, Sharon Brewer, MSN, RN,
Ruth Whitehead, BSN, RN, Sharla Valdez, BSN, RN, Vicki Brockman, DNP,
MSN , RN, NE-BC, Marietta Branson, DHSc, MSN, RNC, Ronda Crow, MA, BSN,
RN and Valerie Kiper, DNP, MSN, RN, NEA-BC worked
with TNA-District 2 and the community, including healthcare, academic
and business partners to create the Panhandle Great 25 Nurses. Since its
inception in 2016, the Panhandle Great 25 Nurses has always been about
lifting up nurses for recognition of their contributions to the
individual patient, families and communities in which they live and work
and across the continuum of care including education. The
organization’s ability to support the community of nurses includes not
only recognition, but scholarships to assist nurses who are pursuing an
entry level nursing degree or a higher degree in nursing.
Nurses have a great impact and this organization allows for the amazing stories
of courage, strength, resilience, and the lives of each patient they
touch to be told, not only at the bedside, but in the boardroom,
schoolroom, and throughout the community.
The Panhandle Great 25 celebration raises the awareness of the
contributions of nurses to patient care, research, leadership, education
and community service of more than 4000 nurses practicing in the
Panhandle area. In addition, the celebration builds the image of nursing
through positive reinforcement of the profession as a scientific art
and the recognition of those who exemplify excellence. It is a special
honor for a nurse to be nominated by family members, patients, peers,
former teachers, physicians, and administrators. Over the three years,
this award has become recognized throughout the nursing community in the
Texas Panhandle as an esteemed honor and prestigious accomplishment,
and it is our hope the event will continue for many more years to come.