NURSES HERE NAMED STATE AWARD FINALISTS

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Linda Heitman and Marcia Southard-Ritter have done more than "nurse" their careers; they have excelled at the profession of nursing.

The two longtime Cape Girardeau nurses are among 14 statewide who are finalists in the second annual Tribute to Missouri Nurses Awards program.

The awards program is sponsored by St. Louis University School of Nursing and the St. Louis University Hospital Auxiliary.

Five awards will be given: two for patient care and one each for nursing education, administration and research.

Award winners will be announced at a dinner at the Adam's Mark Hotel in St. Louis on April 20.

The award winners will each receive $1,000 and a specially commissioned crystal sculpture. Guest speaker at the dinner will be Academy Award-winning actress Patricia Neal.

The program is designed to honor nurses throughout the state for excellence in the tradition of caring while promoting the profession of nursing.

Heitman is a medical-surgical clinical nurse specialist at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Southard-Ritter is vice president of patient care at St. Francis Medical Center.

Only three of the 14 finalists are from outstate Missouri. Southard-Ritter said that fact "speaks very highly of Southeast Missouri" and the nursing profession in this region.

Southard-Ritter, who has worked in the nursing field in Cape Girardeau for 27 years, the last 18 at St. Francis Medical Center, said she was pleased to be a finalist.

"I was very pleasantly surprised because there are so many qualified nurses in the state of Missouri," said Southard-Ritter. There are approximately 40,000 registered nurses in the state, she said.

"Certainly," she said, "just to be one of the finalists is one of the highlights of my nursing career."

Finalists were selected from nominations submitted by individuals and groups across the state. Southard-Ritter said 428 nurses were nominated.

Heitman echoed Southard-Ritter's thoughts about being a finalist.

"I'm obviously very pleased, very appreciative," said Heitman, stressing that the accomplishment reflects well on Southeast Missouri Hospital and the health-care profession in Cape Girardeau.

"I feel very fortunate to be part of a health-care team that I feel has extremely competent physicians and excellent nurses," said Heitman who has worked in nursing for 19 years, all at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Southard-Ritter, who has served as vice president of patient care at St. Francis for the past 8 years, and Heitman, who has worked as a clinical specialist for the last four years at Southeast, said the nursing profession has undergone tremendous changes over the years.

"When I came back to Cape to work 27 years ago, most nurses worked in hospitals," recalled Southard-Ritter. "At the time I went into nursing, there weren't as many avenues open to women," she said. "Since I came into nursing 27 years ago, the profession itself has expanded.

"The exciting thing, I think, for nursing nowadays is that it is a profession that both men and women can practice," said Southard-Ritter.

"There are so many choices available to young nurses today," said Heitman. "You can specialize; you can be creative in your practice and tailor your practice around your own personal interest," she said.

Heitman said she became a nurse because "it combined for me three things that I enjoy: people, science and communication."

She said she enjoys helping patients. "There is a very special relationship that exists between a nurse and his or her patient. The patient is really the essence of what we do."

Southard-Ritter said she has enjoyed nursing and continues to find satisfaction in nursing management. "I found as I went into nursing management that I could still have an impact on the care of the patient, and I could do that by implementing changes in nursing practices."

Both Cape Girardeau women said they expect there will continue to be a shortage of nurses nationwide.

"I think just across-the-board there is a shortage of nurses," said Heitman.

Southard-Ritter said that with an aging population and an increasing number of patients being cared for in an outpatient setting, the demand for nurses will increase into the next century.

The nursing field is ever changing as new medical practices and technology emerge on the scene, both Southard-Ritter and Heitman said.

Increasingly, nurses must obtain a master degree in order to specialize in advanced areas of nursing, said Southard-Ritter.

"I think nursing scholarships will be emphasized more in the future," said Heitman.

"Our ultimate goal in advancing the profession of nursing is to provide expert clinical care at the bedside," she explained.

Southard-Ritter said: "Even though Southeast Missouri is considered rural by designation, the level of health care that is provided here and the level of the practice of nursing is certainly equal to or surpasses that provided in any of the metropolitan areas of Missouri."

The nursing profession in Southeast Missouri, said Southard-Ritter, has been "in the forefront and a leader many times in implementing" changes in the nursing field.