Emergency Department Staff RN Alan Recognized as North Oaks Health System's Nurse Excellence for February 2019

Emergency Department Staff Registered Nurse Alan has received the North Oaks Health System Nurse Excellence Award for February 2019.

In 2015, Alan joined the Emergency Department (ED) as a Patient Care Tech, becoming a staff registered nurse in 2016. With a zeal for continuous learning, Alan serves on the hospital's Nursing Shared Governance Informatics Council and co-chairs the ED's Shared Governance Council. He also is a Trauma Nursing Core Course Instructor for the Emergency Nurses Association.

Alan shares, "For most patients, a trip to the emergency room is the worst day of their lives. I try my hardest to brighten their day."

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Southeastern Louisiana University.

Originally, Alan had his sights set on teaching Math, but that all changed after a high school friend talked him in to volunteering at a hospital over the summer. He followed wound care nurses the entire summer.

Alan explains, “Seeing the difference we could make in someone’s day and witnessing patient progress over time was the most rewarding experience I have ever had. From that point on, I knew nursing was for me.”

Alan hails from Slidell and currently lives in Hammond. He favors spending time with friends, distance running, working out and visiting new places as pastimes.

"Alan is a true leader dedicated to improving lives," affirms Eric Neal, Emergency Department Director. "During our recent trauma recertification, Alan impressed the surveyors with his prowess for documentation, leaving them praising our process as the best they'd ever seen! What Alan demonstrates shift after shift as normal practice was praised by the surveyors as a best practice that other hospitals should strive to emulate."