Lynette DeBellis, an instructor of Nursing at Mount Saint Mary College, was named a Top 20 Nurse in the region at the 2021 Excellence in Nursing Awards, hosted by Hudson Valley Magazine, on Wednesday, May 5.
Nikia Blauvelt of Red Hook, N.Y., a student in the college's Family Nurse Practitioner program, and Courtney Kurkela of Poughquag, N.Y., a student in the Mount's accelerated Nursing program, were also recognized for being nominated for the award.
The ceremony, held during National Nurses Week, celebrated the region's top nurses: those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. The award honors the achievements, dedication, and hard work of this year's honorees, especially in the face of the COVID-19.
DeBellis, a 1985 graduate of Mount Saint Mary College, has been a registered nurse for 35 years. Her dedication to personal and compassionate care has lasted for decades throughout her time at both Westchester Medical Center and Mid Hudson Regional. As an instructor of Nursing at the Mount, DeBellis has brought her passion for service and excellence to the next generation of nurses.
Recently, DeBellis and her dedicated students made history in the fight against COVID-19. Under her guidance, about 50 Mount students administered some of the first-ever COVID-19 vaccines to the doctors, nurses, and other essential staff at four area hospitals. Student volunteers started giving the vaccine at Vassar Brothers Medical Center on December 21, 2020 and soon were aiding in distribution at both Northern Dutchess Hospital and Putnam Hospital. In January 2021, they began administering or helping to administer the vaccine to some of the essential workers in the local community. The Mount vaccination efforts came to Newburgh that month as well, as Mount students began vaccinating the staff at Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall.
With only about 48 hours' notice, DeBellis took on the responsibility of overseeing dozens of Mount students during a time when most professors were preparing for the next semester and enjoying the holidays. But she knew she had to be part of this humanitarian effort. Not only did it have a major impact on the community, but also on her students: The work strengthened their nursing skills at a time when clinical placements in hospitals had become very limited.
Nikia Blauvelt's life changed in an instant in September of 2019, when she was struck by a drunk driver and suffered a serious spinal injury. Her first major surgery was in March of 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.
Seeing the world buckle under the weight of the pandemic ignited Blauvelt's desire to get back to work quickly and help her coworkers.
"I needed to be with my peers," she said. "I needed to help them. I'm a nurse! This is what I do!"
Blauvelt had always been a good nurse at Vassar Brothers Medical Center – Nuvance Health, but the experience of recovering from her own major injury gave her a much more intimate understanding of the patient experience.
"I became more empathetic, I was more compassionate to patients, and I felt like I needed to spend more time educating them," she explained. "I just see it different now. I can understand people's pain much more...I tell my story to my patients. I tell them they can overcome things that are really difficult."
Blauvelt's supervisors took notice of her improved rapport with patients and nominated her for the 2021 Excellence in Nursing Awards. "I was humbled and flattered," she said.
Her time as a student at the Mount is helping Blauvelt to become a better nurse, she added: "The Mount does absolutely prepare you...to perform better. Nurses should continue education no matter how old or how young they are. That's how you grow."
Courtney Kurkela, who works in the Premier Medical Group's Internal Medicine department in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. was nominated for the 2021 Excellence in Nursing Award by her supervisor, Dr. David Cho. Dr. Cho took note of how Kurkela was able to work fulltime and maintain a 3.7 GPA at the Mount, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kurkela covered for other nurses who had been impacted by COVID-19, worked on her days off, and stayed late. When Premier started hosting COVID-19 vaccine clinics, Kurkela took the role of vaccine clinic coordinator.
"I am very passionate about nursing and want to have an impact on people's lives, so for someone to think of me and nominate me was truly an indescribable feeling," said Kurkela.
Kurkela thanked the Mount for helping her to prepare for the challenges of the pandemic.
"Mount Saint Mary College has shaped me into the professional nurse I am today," she explained. "I have had some incredible professors and clinical preceptors that have taught us not only the skills you need as a nurse, but how to remain professional, compassionate, and become a patient advocate while working...I am grateful to have professors that have such a commitment and integrity to the nursing profession."
Through the Mount's prestigious Nursing program, students enjoy state-of-the-art simulation labs and clinical relationships with dozens of area hospitals. The Mount's passionate faculty are dedicated to the success of both their undergraduate and graduate students.