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IHS Division of Nursing Services announces new "Nurse of the Month" program

by Capt. Carol S. Lincoln, Director, Division of Nursing Services, Indian Health Service

This Nurses Week, the IHS is highlighting all of our nurses from across Indian Country for their hard work and dedication to our patients and communities. As part of these efforts, the Division of Nursing Services at IHS headquarters is pleased to announce the creation of a "Nurse of the Month" recognition program for all nurses across the IHS, tribal, and urban Indian organization health system.

We are eager to put a spotlight on the incredible nurses, including registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, licensed practical nurses, and others, across the agency who have devoted their lives to the betterment of others through nursing.

Our nurses consistently step up to the call and provide vital care that impacts the health and well-being of the American Indian and Alaska Native people we serve. Nurses have served in various capacities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including planning, implementing, and evaluating a full range of related activities such as testing, treatment, and vaccine administration, all while continuing to provide quality direct patient care.

By recognizing a Nurse of the Month each month, our hope is to empower and inspire our nurses by lifting up the accomplishments, challenges, and stories within our community of nurses who continue to thrive, even during difficult times. The Nurse of the Month recognition program will feature a nurse every month who has been nominated by their peers. Selections will be based on criteria that includes their contributions to the enhancement of the nursing profession through innovation, facilitation of change, and the use of evidence-based practices.

Each individual will be celebrated on various IHS digital channels, helping to build recognition and visibility for nurses' contributions throughout the year. The Division of Nursing Services is excited to continue recognizing nurses beyond Nurses Week, and we invite you to nominate a nurse for the first month of the program by following the nomination instructions posted on the DNS website [PDF] by May 15, 2021.

Please join me this week in thanking nurses across the IHS for all that they do. Happy National Nurses Week!

Related Content:

Nurse of the Month

IHS Division of Nursing Services

IHS Nursing Job Opportunities


Capt. Carol S. Lincoln, Director, Division of Nursing Services, Indian Health Service

Capt. Carol S. Lincoln, an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation with blood and cultural ties to San Felipe Pueblo in New Mexico, serves as the director of the Division of Nursing Services in the Office of Clinical and Preventive Services at the Indian Health Service. Capt. Lincoln has spent the majority of her 27-year career in the U.S. Public Health Service in different assignments throughout the IHS, and has also held positions with the National Institutes of Health, the United States Marshals Service as chief nurse, and most recently with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.