Nurse Leaves $100,000 for Neonatal Intensive Care Education at UAMS, ACH
| LITTLE ROCK – A longtime neonatal intensive care nurse who recently passed away has donated $100,000 for nurse education at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH).
Pam McMillian, a registered nurse at UAMS and ACH for nearly 30 years who recently died after battling cancer, left $100,000 to be split evenly between the two NICU’s where she spent her career. McMillian also attended the UAMS College of Nursing.
“She was one of our most experienced and most educated nurses, and her passing has left a big hole in the lives of those who knew her and in the workplace she was so dedicated to,” said Kristine Palmer, M.D., medical co-director of the UAMS NICU and associate professor of pediatrics. “She was a true role model for a lot of our nurses and staff; her generous gift will ensure that her high ethical standards and commitment to the profession will live on.”
The $50,000 gifts to the UAMS and ACH NICU floors will be used to send staff to annual conferences and continuing education seminars to obtain and keep the highest level of certification available for registered nurses working in neonatal intensive care units.
The NICU staff dedicated a plaque to McMillian at a June 16 unveiling that identifies a nursing work station in her name in the UAMS NICU. A reception for the donor’s family, friends and co-workers was also held at UAMS.
“Pam’s compassion for her patients and families was clearly evident in everything she did in the NICU,” said Lori Brown, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at ACH. “She was equally passionate in her commitment to her fellow nurses, serving as a valued mentor and respected teacher among nurses. This gift will benefit not only her peers in nursing, but also all the patients these nurses treat each year.”
Palmer said McMillian’s impact is still felt.
“What a wonderful way to be remembered,” Palmer said. “She was a mentor to so many of our registered nurses and staff, and she will continue to teach us even after she’s gone.”
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a 540,000-square-foot hospital; a statewide network of regional centers; and six institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,836 students and 761 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital is the only pediatric medical center in Arkansas and one of the largest in the United States serving children from birth to age 21. The campus spans 29 city blocks and houses 316 beds, a staff of approximately 500 physicians, 80 residents in pediatrics and pediatric specialties and more than 4,000 employees. The private, nonprofit healthcare facility boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking medical research – all dedicated to fulfilling our mission of enhancing, sustaining and restoring children’s health and development. ACH recently ranked No. 75 on FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®. For more information, visit www.archildrens.org.