Third annual APP in Excellence Award recipient named

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s APP in Excellence Award was established to recognize and celebrate the important contributions Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) make to the hospital. APPs include nurse practitioners, physician assistants and certified nurse anesthetists. At a recent celebration, the third annual APP in Excellence Award was given to Sharran “Nickie” Burney, MSN, RN, FNP-BC.

Burney was nominated for the award by Executive Director of Nursing Professional Development, Practice and Innovation Colleen West, DNP, MBA, RN, CPHQ, for her work with the Diabetes Committee. In her nomination letter, West wrote:

As a co-chair of the Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital Diabetes Committee, I have had, and continue to have, the benefit of working closely with Nickie over the past five years. As a member of the Diabetes Committee, Nickie exemplifies excellence in collaborative initiatives and in her advocacy for enhancing patient care and quality metrics.

West’s nomination goes on to highlight Burney’s many contributions and concludes with these words:

This nomination reflects just a snapshot of Nickie’s commitment to improving care of patients with diabetes and achieving excellence in our practice. She has gone above and beyond in her role as a Diabetes Committee member, championing improvement projects, advocating with key leadership teams and mentoring others along the way. Outside of the Diabetes Committee, I know Nickie has supported NP student experiences; she has led educational programming for the APP Committee; and is currently pursuing her PhD. She is a true role model.

During BWFH’s Annual APP Celebration, Chief Advanced Practice Provider Johanna Baldassari, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, presented Burney with her award, remarking, “I remember when Nickie joined BWFH as a new nurse on 6 South in 2009. As a new grad, I knew she was smart—she was so smart! She was thorough, competent, collegial and had a lovely bedside manner. Vonette Anglin and I had the good fortune to have her join our team shortly after—and we knew we had a keeper. Soon she was teaching us. Her calm and focused demeanor is a welcomed contrast to the busy and unpredictable nature of hospital medicine. Her commitment to her craft is so clear—self-guided learning, participating in unit initiatives and later leading them—all to improve the care of our patients and the betterment of our profession.”

Upon receiving her award, Burney says she felt honored. “This award is extremely meaningful given the incredible caliber of APPs here, and because no institution has invested as much into my professional development as BWFH. More than anything, this award honors the legacy of my mother, who was a nurse and is the reason I entered healthcare,” she says.

Published 10/4/22