TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses will present a recent University of Alabama graduate with its Excellent Student Nurse Award in San Antonio on May 22.

Danielle Curtis, a Ward native and a December 2002 graduate of UA’s Capstone College of Nursing, will receive the award -- given to only two nursing students nationwide -- during the National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition. Curtis now works for the DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, as a critical care nurse within that hospital’s trauma surgical intensive care unit.

The award recognizes nursing students “whose activities during nursing school have promoted the value of nursing and reflect the AACN vision of creating a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families, where critical care nurses can make their optimal contribution.”

Curtis, who was required to submit an essay as part of her nomination packet, wrote of what she learned while caring for a dying patient during a summer internship at Baptist-Princeton Hospital in Birmingham.

“Critical care nursing is about helping the patient deal with whatever situation they have been given,” said Dr. Angela Collins, an associate professor of nursing at UA who was also Curtis’ supervisor during her 8-week internship at Baptist-Princeton. “Danielle is someone who strives for excellence,” said Collins. “I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who is so passionate about what she does.”

While a student at UA, Curtis also earned clinical experience from other establishments including Vanderbilt Medical Center, Bessemer-Carraway Hospital, UA’s Russell Student Health Center, DCH Regional Medical Center, Bryce Hospital, VA Hospital, UAB, Oak Hill School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary, and Amedisys Home Health.

During her clinical, Curtis also volunteered her participation in UA’s Capstone Rural Health Center in Parrish, developing the clinic’s annual report. That health center is a nurse-managed facility operated by UA’s Capstone College of Nursing and UA’s Capstone Medical Center.

The Capstone College of Nursing, founded in 1976, graduates approximately 100 nurses a year from its baccalaureate program. Its graduate program for nurse case managers is one of the most innovative in the country. Partnerships with many of Alabama’s community colleges make obtaining a bachelor’s in nursing or a master’s in nursing a realistic goal for registered nurses. With more than 600 students and 28 faculty members, the College supplies RNs and nurse case managers to many Alabama health care facilities and others throughout the United States. The College also runs a primary care clinic in rural Alabama to provide care for rural patients and rural learning experiences for students.

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, with approximately 65,000 members. Its international headquarters are located in Aliso Viejo, Calif. Founded in 1969, the association now has more than 250 chapters worldwide and is working toward a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families, where critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. Complete information about AACN is available at the web site www.aacn.org.