Centegra Health System congratulates nurse Jennifer Kennedy, the recipient of the Woodstock Moose Lodge Annual Nurse of the Year Award. As a medical surgical nurse educator, Kennedy works directly with nurses to implement Centegra’s high standards of practice. She accepted the award Nov. 3 at the sixth annual Woodstock Community Hero Awards at the Woodstock Moose Lodge and Family Center No. 1329.
“Jennifer unselfishly spends long hours providing quality education to our nursing team to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to meet our vision of providing exceptional care to our community,” said Sue Schmieding, director of the patient experience at Centegra. “She also serves as the founder and president of our local chapter of the Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses and shares many of the Centegra’s processes and outcomes with nurses across the country.”
Kennedy was nominated by nursing leadership at Centegra. She graduated in 2002 from Northern Illinois University with her bachelor of science in nursing and became part of the Centegra team in January 2010. She continued her education while working full-time as a nurse and received her master of science in nursing from Northern Illinois University.
“Jennifer has a passion for nursing education,” Schmieding said. “She is highly regarded by her peers and by direct care nurses.”
Kennedy serves as a member of the clinical practice committee at Centegra and has brought evidence-based changes to the health system to improve patient care. She also helped develop bedside shift report at Centegra, a practice that allows oncoming and off-going nurses to visualize the patient and exchange care information while the patient and his or her family listens and contributes. This practice is strongly linked to patient safety and continuity of care.
