Emergency department nurse at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital named 2021 Nurse of the Year

Northeast Wisconsin – Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) hospitals in Eastern Wisconsin are pleased to announce Kelsey Frericks, an emergency department nurse, and Critical Care Trauma Program Coordinator at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan as *2021 Nurse of the Year.

HSHS hospitals in Eastern Wisconsin include: HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay; HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan; and HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls. Each year, one nurse is chosen as Nurse of the Year. Nurses nominate a colleague from their unit, and those nominations are then reviewed by nursing leadership and the hospitals’ Professional Nurse Practice Council.

“If I were to use a sports analogy, a nurse is the quarterback of the team,” said Shana McClone, Chief Nursing Officer at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital. “They need to see the whole patient and anticipate the patient, family and community needs. Especially during the pandemic, nurses were there to provide care for the most vulnerable while working to connect with the human side of nursing.”

“Kelsey is a role model nurse who takes pride in the work she completes every day,” said Cassandra Limberg, Kelsey’s longtime manager. “She treats not only her patients with care, respect, competence and joy but also treats her colleagues in the same manner.”

Kelsey, a graduate of Sheboygan South High School, started at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in 2018 as a Critical Care Registered Nurse. She graduated from Lakeshore Technical College with an associate degree in nursing in 2017 and recently completed her Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. While Kelsey says the pandemic presented several challenges to her and her colleagues, she felt it was important to be there for her community to offer a calming presence during a difficult time.

“I feel fortunate to have a career as a nurse. Helping people in their most vulnerable moments can be so rewarding,” said Kelsey. “I love being able to help a patient find out why they are feeling the way they do and help them.”

Kelsey loves traveling, reading fiction and mystery books and the feeling of knowing that her patients feel safe and comfortable in her presence. She finds nursing to be a career which is gratifying, challenging and one that relies on a team to complete the jobs at hand.

“She goes above and beyond to ensure all patients get the care they need and deserve,” said Limberg. “She also strives to ensure her entire unit is giving outstanding care as well.”

*The HSHS Eastern Wisconsin Nurse of the Year for the previous year is typically announced in spring/summer of the current year. 

 

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About HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center

HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center have been delivering quality health care to Green Bay and its surrounding communities since 1888. With HSHS St. Vincent being the largest tertiary care hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s location on Green Bay’s west side, patients from Northeastern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan benefit from a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, emergency and trauma care, preventive care across the lifespan, digestive health, orthopedic, cardiac care, neurosciences, rehabilitation and pediatrics. Affiliates of Hospital Sisters Health System, the hospitals primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of competent and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. Both hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

 

About HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital

HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital has been delivering high quality health care to Sheboygan and its surrounding communities since 1890. HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital provides a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, 24-hour emergency care, digestive health, orthopedics, cardiac, home health and hospice care. The hospital’s primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of high quality and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.  An affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, we draw on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as we move to continue serving the health care needs of our area in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people. To learn more, visit www.stnicholashospital.org.

 

About HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital serves Oconto Falls and the surrounding communities as a federally designated critical access hospital with a 24-hour emergency department; inpatient and outpatient surgical and diagnostic services; cancer care; therapy and rehabilitation; wound care; the Almost Home Swing Bed program; and more. It was founded as Oconto Falls City Hospital in 1921 and became HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in 2014 when it joined Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). As an affiliate of HSHS, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital draws on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as it serves the health care needs of the region in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people. HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital also has five rural health center locations in affiliation with Prevea Health in Gillett, Lena, Mountain, Oconto Falls and Suring; and operates HSHS Pharmacies in Gillett and Oconto Falls, and HSHS Prescription Services (remote dispensing sites) in Lena, Mountain and Pulaski. In 2022, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital was named a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the U.S. by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. For more information about St. Clare, please visit: www.stclarememorial.org.

 

About Hospital Sisters Health System

Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org.  For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.