Excellence in Advanced Practice Award

A look at May 2025 Winner for the Advancement of Nursing Practice Award

Brandi Duncan, APRN, The Orthopaeic and Spine Hospital

(summary of her nomination) Brandi is excellent at her job at the Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital. She always goes above and beyond to ensure that the patients receive the best care possible. She will take after hours phone calls on her own time consistently to ensure that everything runs smoothly. She also assists with discharging patients and making sure they have a great experience while in the hospital. Brandi is the “go to” person for a lot of people from nurses to residents and even attendings. She always has a great attitude and can brighten people’s day. The orthopedics department is very lucky to have such an amazing nurse practitioner and she deserves to be recognized for her excellence in clinical practice that she consistently exemplifies.

Brandi embodies several UAMS Health core values, including but not limited to teamwork, creativity, excellence, and safety. She constantly thinks about creative ways to do her job, and to ensure that patients who receive surgery at TOSH continue to get great care after they leave the hospital. Brandi has also engaged in work that has contributed to the spine service’s decreased length of stay. Overall, Brandi is the best choice for the Excellence in Advanced Practice Award since the term “excellence” is precisely what is executed by her on a daily basis.

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The Excellence in Advanced Practice Award recognizes the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) who excels in UAMS Health core values of integrity, respect, diversity and health equity, teamwork, creativity, excellence, and safety. This professional will be recognized for their admirable character, selfless dedication, continued leadership, and outstanding advocacy for the profession of advanced practice nursing. Perpetually raising the bar for all, they help establish a higher standard quality of care.

Nomination Requirements:

1. Nominee must be a licensed Advance Practice Nurse (CNM, CRNA, CNS, or NP) within the UAMS Health system
2. Nominee must promote excellence through leadership, clinical practice, and/or clinical research.

Nomination Process:

1. Complete the application below in its entirety relating to the Advanced Practice nurse you are nominating. If you have any supportive information in the area provided in the nomination form, please attach it. NOTE: Nominations will not be accepted after the closing date.

Selection Process:

1. Nominations that meet criteria will be blinded and reviewed by the Awards Committee. The Awards Committee will select winners based only on the information provided in the nomination and supportive information.
2. Nominees who meet the criteria, as well as the selected winner, will be celebrated during annual Professional Nursing Awards ceremony.

Come back in January of 2026.