Liz Wilson selected for Beebe's You Make a Difference Award

Elizabeth Wilson, RN, BSN, OCN, MSN, FNP-BC, an oncology family nurse practitioner, has been honored with Beebe Medical Center’s employee You Make a Difference Award for September. Staff and patients at Beebe Medical Center and at its outpatient facility Tunnell Cancer Center recognize that Wilson makes a difference in the lives of patients and their families every day. Wilson sees patients both as inpatients in the hospital and at Tunnell Cancer Center.

She often is confronted with very difficult, end-of-life situations in which she helps patients and families, in a caring and compassionate manner, to understand the complexities of what the future may hold. With warmth and kindness, she helps them navigate through the emotional process, providing them with choices and exceptional oncology-related care.

Her days often are long, as she spends time in the hospital caring for her patients. She has an excellent bedside manner and is the patient’s best advocate. Her peers who nominated her for the award remember that sadly, there was a patient dying of cancer who had a large family whose members were divided on how to pursue their loved one’s end-of-life options. Wilson stayed with them, providing support until they all agreed to take the patient home with hospice care.

She also had another patient who was dying imminently and about to be transferred to the hospice center. At the family’s request, she stopped the transfer to allow the patient to pass away at the hospital just a few hours later.

Wilson, a graduate of Beebe School of Nursing, has been a nurse at Tunnell Cancer Center for eight years. She earned her family nurse practitioner certification in 2011.

Beebe Medical Center staff members have voiced their appreciation for all Wilson does for the Tunnell Cancer Center’s patients and family members. She truly makes a difference to the lives of patients, their families and the entire community.

Beebe Medical Center’s You Make a Difference employee recognition program, which was established in 2002, gives employees the opportunity to recognize their colleagues for outstanding service. The program is similar to an employee of the month program, but 18 employees can be selected annually. Each nomination, submitted by fellow employees or management, must meet specific criteria, and is evaluated by the award committee. Winners are announced in a surprise ceremony in which the committee visits the winner in his or her department and presents the award.

Employees selected for the award receive:

• Parking space with sign/plaque for a month

• $100 check

• Letter of congratulations and personal visit from Jeffrey Fried, Beebe president and CEO

• Photo for wall plaque on hall outside of cafeteria

• Special pin for badge

• Letter to team member’s director and department recognition.

Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness and restore optimal health with the people residing, working or visiting in the communities it serves. For more information, go to www.beebemed.org.