Lindsey Bourne Nomination Letter

On behalf of the stroke team at Baptist Health, we would like to nominate Lindsey Bourne, APRN, as the ANVC Nurse of the Year for 2021 for her commitment and consistent provision of evidence-based stroke care to our acute stroke patients during one of the most challenging times for the service. Lindsey was an ICU South nurse prior to completing her master’s degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and passing her Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner board exam in 2018. She arrived at Baptist Health as a newly graduated Nurse Practitioner in a time of transition for the program. Two of our three staff neurologists were leaving and the facility, for the first time, relied on neurology locum tenens for acute stroke and other neurologic conditions. There was a new stroke coordinator and the former stroke nurse practitioner had transitioned back to the neurosurgery service. Frankly, she bravely entered this clinical environment in a new role in a new specialty with the determination that can only be associated with an enneagram Type 8 whose personality can be described by General George Patton, “Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.” She was advised to apply for the NETSMART program to quickly get her started in her new specialty and, very soon, she was the “go-to” person for the emergency department, ICU, stroke floor, administration, as well as the locum tenens. She developed into a credible expert through the application of her fellowship work to daily practice in working with over a dozen neurologists in the previous two years. She has been the consistent presence for the acute stroke service and her grasp of evidence-based practice and ability to communicate, ask questions, make suggestions, and troubleshoot local processes has earned the respect of her colleagues. As a matter of fact, several of the neurologists credit Lindsey with their job satisfaction in our organization.

Lindsey gave birth to a beautiful daughter during the COVID-19 shut-down and she came back to work as if she had never left. Because of severely limited visitation policies during that time, communication with the family was a priority for her then and still is. She and I have collaborated on mutual patients, and she does an excellent job of explaining the pathology, treatments and expected outcomes so that the family is as prepared for this journey as they can be. She is also an excellent resource for the nursing staff, explaining the rationale for blood pressures, antiplatelet versus anticoagulant therapies and avoiding complications in stroke patients. She actively participates in Neuro ICU rounds and the chief of neurosurgery always has questions for her specifically related to stroke treatments and plans. She is currently working with the current stroke coordinator and the education department to further develop education for the staff. Recognizing issues with transition of care for stroke patients, she has also collaborated with the outpatient stroke nurse practitioners to develop and implement a more reliable process for stroke follow-up. As the program grows with new leadership, I have no doubt that Lindsey will be an integral part of the work associated with the application for Comprehensive Stroke Center status.

For Lindsey, the past two years have comprised a new degree and certification, new role, new job, new stroke fellowship, new membership in ANVC, new healthcare crisis with COVID, new baby, new house, newly anticipated ANVP board exam this fall, and many more new friends and colleagues. I am hoping to add a new award to that list, “ANVC Nurse of the Year” for 2021. This short nomination in no way could describe the enormous personal and professional respect that I and so many others have of Lindsey. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to nominate her.

Rhonda Finnie, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, ANVP-BC, ASC-BC, RNFA