ICU Nurse Receives AACN Circle of Excellence Award

Munson Medical Center ICU Patient Coordinator Edward (Ted) Stevenson, BSN, RN, CCRN, TCRN, ENLS, ABLS, recently received the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Circle of Excellence Award for 2021.

Ted, who has worked at Munson Medical Center for the past nine years, was nominated for the award by colleagues. The award is given by the association to 25 nurses nationally who exemplify excellence in high acuity and critical care nursing practice.

“Being selected for the AACN award is particularly special to me because my friends secretly nominated me,” he said. “It gives me extra strength to continue to improve patient outcomes and fight for our team.”

Ted began his career as a nurse assistant and has served as a unit clerk, graduate nurse, registered nurse, charge nurse, and now patient care coordinator. He has been in the patient care coordinator role less than a year. 

Outstanding Nurse

ICU Manager Eric Jean, MSN, CCRN, characterizes Ted an “outstanding nurse.”

“Ted treats every patient as he would his own family,” he said. “As a leader, Ted is one of the brightest young stars of our organization.  In his role as ICU Patient Care Coordinator he brings calm, consistency and clinical excellence. He is a problem solver who brings creative solutions to some of our most challenging issues.”

Ted enjoys the challenges associated with intensive care nursing. The unit cares for a variety of patients, who can arrive with several different medical conditions that need to be addressed. Helping the care team figure out what the patient needs in order to achieve the best outcome continues to motivate him in his care.

One might conclude that nursing is his family calling. His great-grandfather was a nurse, his mother was a nurse at Munson Medical Center for many years, and Ted went to nursing school at Northwestern Michigan College with his father. 

“So healthcare was sort of in my blood, but it was working at a nursing home that I realized I really enjoyed helping people,” he said. “Nursing is an amazing mix of hands on work, science, and compassion.” 

Pandemic Lessons

Serving on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a “roller coaster” for Ted. Some members of his family and close friends have become sick and he has witnessed the suffering and tragedy inflicted by the disease in his role as a nurse.

“At the beginning research overload was my comfort. I looked at basically every new study or what people were doing around the world.  After a while it turned into something where I would remind myself I was healthy and employed and I was finding the things that I really ought to be thankful for,” he said. “Lately I have been encouraged by the vaccine, and the fact that the current census has really dropped down.” 

Ted characterizes his colleagues on the ICU as “some of the most dedicated, caring, and smart individuals that I have ever had the pleasure to work with” and he would recommend their care to anyone.

“The teamwork in ICU is amazing and if my friends or family needed ICU care, I would trust my colleagues,” he said.