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Filipina nurse wins top U-S award Nurses

A Filipino-American has been named one of the Best Nurse Leaders of the United States by winning the 2006 ADVANCE for Nurses Journal's Best Nurse Leader award.

Los Angeles-based senior nurse Lily Maniquiz is the nurse manager of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System's Nursing Home Care Unit 213-2.

Vital to Lara's winning was the successful implementation of a program that she created for the reduction of patient fall incidents. This program has been adopted as model for other fall prevention programs.

"I was challenged by my senior leadership team to address the increasing patient fall incidents in our unit. What I did was, together with my multi-disciplinary staff, implement specific changes that became a four-pronged approach to reduce patient falls," Lara said.

The approach included hourly safety checks, assessment, communication with and assistance to patients.

Lara's program was initially met with resistance by nursing assistants who felt the extra duties would stress an already heavy workload. But being a true leader, Lara not only gave orders but personally went on rounds with her staff, in the process showing them how the new procedure could benefit patients.

Not long after, the staff completely signed on to the new protocol, resulting in an 80 percent decrease in patient falls. Lara said the reduction has been sustained for seven years.

"Teamwork among the staff in my unit established a greater sense of collaboration to implement the most wonderful ideas in our quest to provide safety and high quality care to our elderly residents," said Lara, who holds a staff satisfaction survey rate of 95 percent.

Because of the success of the project, Lara was awarded the Excellence in Nursing Innovation in 2004. This year, she was also awarded the Excellence in Nursing Management by the Philippine Nurses Association-America in Southern California.

Lara is quick to point out that there are a lot of Filipino traits that helped her clinch the ADVANCE Best Nurse Leader award. Among these are a strong faith in God, self-discipline, humility and compassion.

"Self-discipline and fortitude to complete a college education at the Manila Central University – that equipped me with the essential ability to understand my patients. It is with this same discipline and education that I am able to step back and allow my disruptive patients to verbalize their anger and frustration; the same education that provided me with the skills to use de-escalating and therapeutic listening interventions to calm them down and guide them back to civility and reality," Lara said.

She added that her ability to connect with people is a known Filipino quality.

"My advise to Filipino nurses is that it is not enough to dream. Work hard to accomplish your dream. Love and be passionate about nursing. Nursing is caring for the patient with integrity and commitment," Lara said.

Lara has given 35 years of loyal service to the veterans at the VA, but she looks forward to the day she will be spending more quality time with her own family.

"I am confident that the work that I have done will be carried on by the future nursing leaders. Patient-centered care is more than a protocol. It is part of our Filipino personality and I am truly proud of it," Lara concluded.

http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/docs/we_are_pinoys/current/lily_maniquiz.html