INS Awards and Recognition
INS Awards and Recognition Program
The Infusion Excellence Award program recognizes leadership, education, research, innovation, and certification as categories most reflective of today’s infusion nurse and the infusion specialty. By developing individual awards represented in these categories, INS and INCC will help honor INS member clinicians who have made significant contributions to their organizations and the infusion specialty.
INS members can nominate individuals within their professional community to receive these awards. Potential recipients will be determined by the INS Awards and Recognition Committee. Award recipients will be recognized on this web page, through an INS podcast, and in a special column in INSider.
Deborah Prinzo, MSN, RN, MEDSURG- BC
Deborah Prinzo, MSN, RN, MEDSURG- BC
Deborah Prinzo, MSN, RN, MEDSURG- BC
Deb Prinzo advocates for INS/the infusion nursing specialty by ensuring our organizational policies and procedures (P&P) are based on the current INS Standards of Practice (SOP), conducting research related to infusion therapy, presenting at the INS conferences, and encouraging membership in INS. As chair of the organizational Vascular Access Device (VAD) Committee, Deb standardized practices at the 10 hospitals creating system-wide P&P on infusion therapy based on the INS SOP.
As a nurse manager, Deb is an authentic nurse leader who trustworthy, reliable, and has a genuine desire to serve others. Each year on IV Nurse Day Deb recognizes her staff with gifts and a celebration of their passion for infusion therapy. A nurse on her team stated, “She ensures our equipment and policies are always up to the latest standards. Deb is also a resource to the nursing education team as a subject matter expert on all aspects of vascular access care.
With patient safety as her primary focus, Debbie’s passion about the care and maintenance of VADs and the prevention of CLABSI’s throughout our organization is demonstrated in her dedication to the evidence-based practice. Debbie is asked by all disciplines throughout the network to review their practices related to patients with VADs. At the hospital level, Deb reports daily at the safety huddle the results of the vascular access teams rounds on all patients with central lines.
Creating system-wide P&P on infusion therapy from P&P at 10 different hospitals was a challenge particularly because there was much variation in the policies and equipment at these 10 hospitals. With her leadership, the VAD Committee created system-wide P&P and standardized practices at the 10 hospitals. A recent challenge was the use of an extended dwell peripheral IV catheter. Deb convened the VAD Committee to update the P&P and provide education about the different peripheral IV catheters.
Deb is an experienced nurse leader in infusion therapy. Deb presented a poster on infusion therapy at the Kean University Research Symposium. Deb also presented at the 2019 INS Annual Meeting sharing her experience transitioning from chest radiographic confirmation of PICC placement to Sherlock 3CG® Tip Confirmation System. Most recently, Deb is conducting a study on Infusion Therapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic and will be presenting the results at the 2023 INS Annual Meeting.
Leadership
This award is presented to an infusion nurse in a management position or higher who provides leadership, guidance, dedicated service and vision of success to his or her organization and exemplifies the traits of a leader.
Learn About Our Awards
The program will recognize 6 individuals each year with an award given bimonthly in the following categories.
Click the badges below to learn more.Â
Past Winners
Tonia Aiken, RN, BSN, JD
Tonia Aiken, RN, BSN, JD is CEO and Co-Founder of SafePush, a medical device company that has developed the patented SafePush device which is an innovative tool that solves the IV push problem and makes patient care safer by taking the guesswork out of administering...
Jonathan Prendergast, RN, BSN, CRNI
Jon graduated from St. Joseph’s College of Maine in 2013 and has worked in numerous clinical settings most notably in the emergency department at Rutland Regional Medical Center for 6 years where he developed as an instructor for ACLS and PALS in addition to...
Alicia Wilson, BSN, RN, CRNI®
“I found my calling to nursing 14 years ago while working at a local bank. After helping customers with their financial needs, I was told numerous times that I would make a great nurse. Clients were always impressed by my ability to show true compassion while helping...
About INS
The Infusion Nurses Society (INS) is an international nonprofit organization representing infusion nurses and other clinicians who are engaged in the specialty practice of infusion therapy.
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