(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) Pam Cornwell, assistant director of patient care services at Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Northern California, is the recipient of the 2011 Excellence in Leadership-North award, presented by the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL).
The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the nursing profession and demonstrated excellence in the advancement of clinical practice. Cornwell will be presented with the award on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the 34th Annual ACNL Conference in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
As a nurse leader at the Northern California Shriners Hospital, Cornwell focuses on patient care delivery, process improvement and resource management.
"Pam is a leader in nursing financial and quantitative outcome analysis and is our champion of nursing practice innovation and change," says BJ Bartleson, director of patient care services. “Her work has allowed us to re-engineer nursing practice to better meet the needs of our unique pediatric populations.”
Cornwell was instrumental in the development of the hospital’s Patient Care Services Financial Outcomes Management System, which provided data necessary to successfully design the hospital’s Intensive Outpatient Program, Nursing Computerized Acuity System, Premier RN Pay Practice, Ambulatory Surgery Program, and an RN Case Management Program.
Cornwell also is responsible for the development of the hospital's Patient Care Services Outcomes Manual, which is a model for nursing throughout the Shriners Hospitals for Children system.
"I am humbled at the thought of receiving an award for nursing. I am so lucky to work in a profession that has allowed me to choose my own path, to work for an organization that continually presents me with new challenges so that I may constantly learn and grow as a leader, and to work with people who motivate, teach and encourage professionalism and quality," said Cornwell, who joined the hospital system in 1997.
Cornwell has a distinguished career in nursing that includes a several years in burn intensive care nursing at the University of California Davis Medical Center. There, she served as staff nurse, case manager, resource nurse and staff educator. At Shriners Hospitals for Children, she has served as manager of the pediatric intensive care unit and as manager of inpatient nursing.
As an active member of the American Burn Association and International Society of Burn Injuries, Cornwell has participated in nursing research and presented numerous times at the national level. She authored a chapter about burn care in a nursing medical surgical textbook and has co-authored a chapter about nursing case management in burn care.
ACNL is a professional nursing organization that develops nurse leaders, advances professional practice, influences health policy and promotes quality and patient safety.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children® is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. The 22 hospitals in the United States, Canada and Mexico provide advanced care for children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.