TALLAHASSEE — A Milton care center staffer has gained statewide acclaim as Florida’s 2016 Licensed Practical Nurse of the Year.
Amy Welty, an LPN at PruittHealth-Santa Rosa, was honored by the Florida Health Care Association at its Long Term Care Excellence in Nursing Awards presentation in St. Pete Beach.
Welty, who achieved her CNA certificate while still a high school senior, is often praised by residents for her keen ability to tell them “what they need to know.”
Part of Welty’s talent comes from her experiences as a patient. In 2005, the young mother of two was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer and forced to put her nursing career on hold to undergo treatment.
Two years later, having been declared in remission, Welty returned to school and, eventually, the workplace. In 2009, after becoming an LPN, she began working at Pruitt Health-Santa Rosa and has been at the care center — located at 5530 Northrop Road in Milton — ever since.
Today, Welty’s true passion lies in geriatric care, as evidenced by the close relationships she forms with the center’s older residents. Welty made it her goal to improve communication between PruittHealth-Santa Rosa’s nursing and therapy units. This resulted in positive outcomes for the center and a notable increase in resident satisfaction.
Excellence in Nursing Award honorees are health care professionals, nominated by FHCA member centers, who reflect the characteristics, professionalism, and expanded skill sets of the long term care nursing profession.
The annual awards recognize individuals for their roles in helping centers achieve one or more of FHCA’s four national quality initiatives: reducing hospital readmissions, decreasing the use of antipsychotic medications, reducing staff turnover, and increasing customer satisfaction.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: FHCA recognizes Milton woman as Licensed Practical Nurse of the Year