A nurse who has woven patient care, administration and academics into a career has been recognized by a state association for her advocacy in health care education.
Connie Jastremski, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient-care services at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, was given the Nursing Service Administration Award by the New York State Nurses Association at its biennial convention Oct. 10.
The award is presented to a member who promotes access to professional nursing services through innovative delivery systems, a media release from the association said, and Jastremski has successfully advocated for the expansion of educational programming for nurses in her region.
The award was an honor and a surprise, Jastremski said Monday, and to be recognized by peers in the Nurses Association ``is really just so special.''
The New York State Nurses Association has more than 37,000 members and is the largest union and professional association for registered nurses in the state, the release said.
Jastremski, also a teacher, said she is on advisory boards for nursing programs at Hartwick College in Oneonta, the State University College of Technology at Delhi, Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, SUNY Morrisville and the SUNY Institute of Technology in Marcy.
Jastremski, 61, of Richfield Springs, has been a nurse for 40 years and has worked at Bassett for more than six years.
"This award says a great deal about the contributions Connie has made to nursing in New York state, and we are extremely proud of her," Bertine McKenna, Ph.D., Bassett's chief operating officer at Bassett, said Monday in a prepared statement. ``She is a very valuable member of our administrative team at Bassett and has worked tirelessly to further the professional development of Bassett's nurses who are on the front lines and always focused on patient care."
Jastremski said she has about 700 employees ``under her wings,'' including about 240 registered nurses. The laboratory, radiology, emergency and operating room are among departments under her watch as vice president for patient-care services, she said.
Before joining Bassett, Jastremski was vice president/nursing at Rome Memorial Hospital and previously director of critical care and emergency nursing at University Hospital, SUNY Health Science Center in Syracuse.
She has been a staff nurse, team leader, nurse clinician and nurse manager, among filling other roles, and she has lectured on and published more than 100 articles and book chapters on neuroscience, critical-care nursing and management issues.
She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, a master's in business administration from Syracuse University and was granted a post master's degree certificate as an adult nurse practitioner in 1998.
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