WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center nurse has been named an inaugural member of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ (AACN) Circle of Excellence Society.
Janice Gasaway, R.N., B.S.N., M.N.A., was selected for membership because she has previously received an AACN Circle of Excellence Award. Gasaway is a two-time Circle of Excellence Award recipient having received the AACN’s Excellence in Critical Care Education Award (1992) and the Excellence in Leadership Award (2006). The Circle of Excellence Society is made up of nurses who receive the Circle of Excellence Award by the AACN. This newest award recognizes nurses who exemplify excellence in the care of acutely and critically ill patients and their families.
Gasaway is also now eligible for consideration for the Flame of Excellence Award, a new recognition that will honor Circle of Excellence criteria at the highest level of sustained regional and national excellence.
“I am truly honored to be selected as an inaugural member of the AACN Circle of Excellence Society,” Gasaway said. “This represents a tremendous opportunity to network with and learn from others who are equally committed to the constant pursuit of quality, excellence, authentic leadership, true collaboration and decisions driven by the needs of patients and their families.”
Gasaway earned her nursing diploma from the Gordon Keller School of Nursing/University of Tampa. She obtained her bachelor’s of science degree in nursing from the University of New York-State University of New York, and her master’s degree in nursing administration from Queen’s College, Charlotte. She also has a certificate in business administration. She has been certified in critical care since 1981, was certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt in 2005, was a member of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners in 2006 and 2007, and holds the Nurse Excellence Award from North Carolina Baptist Hospital. She joined Wake Forest Baptist in 2000 as the associate director of nursing in cardiology. In 2004, she was selected as one of the Medical Center’s first Six Sigma Black Belts and in 2007, she became the director of the Quality Resource Center.
The AACN’s awards program is highly regarded for its responsiveness to current trends in the nursing profession and in the environments where nurses work. Historically, the awards program has focused on recognizing roles and practice situations.
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Media Relations Contacts: Bonnie Davis, bdavis@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-4977; or Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, at (336) 716-4587.