Charlotte Braden, a registered nurse at St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood, has been named the 2009 Pierce County Nurse of the Year by the Pierce County Nurses Association.
“I feel so honored to have been recognized in this way,” said Braden, who has been a nurse at St. Clare Hospital since 1998. “I work with a team of exceptionally capable people, and practicing among them makes it possible for me to do what I do.”
She is a charge nurse in the hospital’s 10-bed Intensive Care Unit where she cares for critically ill and injured patients. “One of Charlotte’s many strengths is her ability to handle the most demanding patient-care situations,” says Tim Plante, a registered nurse and clinical manager of the hospital’s Critical Care Division.
This is the ninth time in the past 11 years that the Pierce County Nurse of the Year has been a member of the St. Clare Hospital staff. The award-winner is chosen by the Pierce County Nurses Association, which is affiliated with the Washington State Nurses Association. Nurses are nominated for Nurse of the Year by their co-workers and peers.
The award ceremony and dinner will be held May 8 at the Landmark Convention Center in Tacoma. The ceremony also will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Pierce County Nurses Association.
St. Clare Hospital, licensed for 106 beds, is part of the Tacoma-based Franciscan Health System.