“This is the greatest honor a nurse can achieve,” said Morrison. “Being recognized by Magnet demonstrates the excellence and dedication of each person I work with at Premier Health and Miami Valley Hospital. My entire career as a bedside nurse has shown me that you can make a difference and positively affect the lives of thousands of patients and their families.”
Credit: Kenneth Krehbiel
Credit: Kenneth Krehbiel
Morrison leads an interdisciplinary team as quality coordinator in the NICU and has educated and mentored nurses caring for critically ill infants, according to Premier Health. She’s worked to improve alarm safety, breastfeeding, support of infants and mothers with neonatal abstinence syndrome and more.
“Tracy has demonstrated there are no limits for a bedside nurse,” said Mary Boosalis, president and CEO of Premier Health. “For 44 years, she has shown nurses in our health system that the role of the nurse has great power to make a difference while providing professional fulfillment.”
Morrison is also a founding member of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization and has traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe to train nurses, physicians and perfusionists on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for infants. Last year, she was selected to serve as the worldwide ELSO Organization Quality Chair through 2023, according to Premier Health.
“Tracy has forged local, national and international interdisciplinary relationships that have driven quality outcomes in the NICU,” said Peggy Mark, chief nursing officer and chief experience officer at Premier Health. “Through autonomous practice and consultation supported by nursing leadership, Tracy and the NICU staff have been able to develop, provide, evaluate and share best practices that reduce mortality and morbidity associated with early birth.”
“Every day is different as a nurse,” said Morrison. “I stay at the bedside because I want to be an example for younger nurses. You must take advantage of the opportunities that are offered to you. We have the opportunity to be there for people during difficult days, help them get back on their feet, and be a support system when they need it most.”
The National Magnet Nurse of the Year Awards honors five nurses in Magnet-designated organization who make outstanding contributions in the five Magnet Model Components: transformational leadership; structural empowerment; exemplary professional practice; new knowledge, innovations and improvements; and empirical outcomes, according to the ANCC.
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