RSFH Nurses Are Among State’s Top 100 Palmetto Gold Winners

Prestigious award honors those who exemplify excellence in nursing

Each year the top registered nurses (RN) throughout the state, who exemplify excellence in nursing, are honored by the South Carolina Nurses Foundation with the Palmetto Gold Award. This year, Roper St. Francis Healthcare (RSFH) is pleased to announce that 12 of its nurses have received this honor — a system record.

Roper Hospital:

Denise Darling, RN, MSN — Administration

For more than 30 years, Darling has guided and supported countless student nurses and peers in the quest of personal and professional excellence. She has an unparalleled ability to maintain calm, thoughtful and positive during the most challenging times, and is therefore, often asked to participate in quality initiatives.

Matthew Faust, RN, ADN — Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)

As a valued team member of the SICU, Faust is a role model of professionalism and accountability. As a clinical coach, he ensures learning needs are met by providing consistent feedback.

Regina Kozlowski, RN, BSN — Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Kozlowski is a leader, mentor, role model, exemplary employee and team member. She has demonstrated her commitment to patients and the profession in her daily practice. She even led a grassroots effort to improve patient experience by developing a comprehensive preoperative education program for open heart surgery.

Josie Looper, RN, BSN — Cardiovascular ICU

Looper is a leader with the vision to empower staff nurse research. Recognizing the combined need of patients, family and staff in the ICU, Looper began a new nursing study looking into ICU family care protocols. These results were used to guide the establishment of a system-wide Family Care Protocol for all of the ICUs.

Grace Tyson-Rankin, RN, ADN — Intermediate Cardiac Care

Rankin is a staff nurse dedicated to the pursuit of nursing excellence and assists with the planning of unit staff enrichment retreats reinforcing that pursuit. Rankin demonstrates her caring and compassion for others not only within Roper, but internationally. In 2008, she served on a mission trip to Honduras where she performed screenings and helped with construction and orphan outreach.

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital:

Kelly Billman, RN — Neurosciences

Billman is a member of the American Association of Neuro Nurses and the Association of Medical Surgical Nurses. She has traveled on multiple mission trips to Romania, Bulgaria and Belize.

Beth Caldwell, BSN, RN-BC — Clinical Manager, Gynecology

Under Caldwell’s leadership, her unit has achieved patient satisfaction awards for “Inpatient Medical Surgical Overall Quality of Care” five years in a row. She has coached more than 20 nurses and is a member of the RSFH Performance Based Development System Advisory Board.

Linda Moeller, RN, OCN — Oncology  

Moeller is active in supporting her local nursing professional organization, Relay for Life, Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure and the Hope Lodge. Moeller is an advocate for chemotherapy safety, implementing new technology and patient care.

Debra Olin, RN-BC — Postoperative Services  

Olin gives back to the community in many ways. She has raised money for a neighbor’s medical bills, participated in several RSFH community events and even formed a team to support a coworker’s battle with cancer. She also is a clinical coach and receives numerous compliments from her students.

Jennifer Vieau, BSN, CNOR — Operating Room

Vieau is a weekend charge nurse, who is an active presenter for her professional organization. She was the local chapter president in 2010 and 2011, and is the co-chair for the North Carolina/South Carolina State Conference slated for later this year. Viveau also has served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.

Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital:

Happy Everett, RN-C, C-EFM, BSN — Women’s Infant and Children (WIC)

Everett helped start WICC at Mount Pleasant Hospital. She is described by her peers as enthusiastic, fair and compassionate. Her employee opinion scores are in the top decile, as are her scores from patient satisfaction surveys.

Maria Sample, RN, MSN, CNOR — Perioperative Services and Eye Care Center

Sample has been with the RSFH system for many years and truly lives the RSFH mission of “healing all people with compassion, faith and excellence”. Her strength in leadership is only outdone in her humility. She is active in her professional organizations and is past president of the South Carolina Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.

Awards will be presented at the Palmetto Gold Gala scheduled for April 22 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.