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Mary Cook, PCT, 6 North, was recently nominated for a BEE Award, which is an acronym for "Being Excellent Every day." UVA Health launched this program last year as special program to recognize excellence among the clinical support team members who work alongside our nursing teams delivering expert, compassionate care. This award program symbolizes the relationship between nursing and other members of the care team — the same way bees and flowers depend on one another. 

Mary received the honor for training colleagues and going out of her way to make new team members feel welcome. Read the full nomination below.

“In March, I started as a patient care tech on the NNICU, and Mary was my preceptor. As I trained and participated in patient care with Mary, I continued to be impressed by her dedication to the work. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all hospital staff members, including patient care techs. It seems that most units at UVA and around the country are in desperate need of CNAs and patient care techs, and when one is hired at UVA, Mary goes above and beyond to make them feel comfortable and a part of the team.

“One example of Mary's dedication to her team happened a few weeks ago when Mary was orienting one of my friends to the patient care tech role. My friend was orienting as an SRO patient care tech and was assigned to work on the NNICU with Mary for the day. I was working on 6 North. Training anyone, especially someone who will not be working on your unit, adds an additional complexity to the day. Mid-day, Mary and my friend came over to 6 North. I asked them what they were doing, and Mary exclaimed that she was bringing my friend over to see an ENT flap patient, because she had never seen one before and my friend was curious to understand how to take care of such a patient. This is an example of Mary's dedication to UVA Health. She not only is training patient care techs to adequately preform their jobs, but she goes above and beyond to keep us engaged and make fellow techs excited about the job. 

“I was proud to train with Mary, and I think she deserves an award as an appreciation for all of the unseen work that she does to train and empower the patient care techs at this hospital.”

*Nomination edited for privacy and clarity.

Know a deserving team member?
The Nursing Professional Governance Organization honors up to two UVA clinical support team members each month with a BEE Award. This special program recognizes excellence among the team members who work alongside our nursing teams delivering expert, compassionate care and symbolizes the relationship between nursing and other members of the care team — the same way bees and flowers depend on one another. Learn more.