Assistant professor honored at UMMC's 2023 Nursing Excellence Awards.
Linda J. Hickman, PhD, MBA, RN, FACHE, assistant professor, was honored as the University of Maryland School of Nursing Colleague Award recipient during the University of Maryland Medical Center's (UMMC) Nursing Excellence Awards Ceremony, held May 9 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore's Leadership Hall. Hickman was recognized for exemplifying excellence as a mentor and educator.
The event program read, "A former VP/CNO, she has an avid interest in academic-practice partnerships. This interest has cultivated great relationships with the CNO and key directors and vice presidents to identify stellar graduate students and an interest in administration and leadership. She has placed countless graduate preceptorships in administrative practicums.
Dr. Hickman's breadth of research includes a focus on the perceptions of nurse leaders and precepting, continually reassessing and improving the experience for leaders and upcoming leaders to ensure the best clinical rotation possible. She is project director for the Increasing Clinical Access and Enrollments NSP II Grant, which provides School of Nursing partnerships with hospitals throughout the state of Maryland. The partnerships are designed to prepare hospital staff nurses as clinical instructors, faculty, preceptors, and mentors, addressing the current nursing faculty shortage and filling vacancies in the workforce. Since the grant's inception in 2006, Dr. Hickman has guided over 150 nurses at UMMC enrolled in the Health Services Leadership and Management master's program, helping create the mentors and leaders needed to meet today's health care challenges.
Under her leadership, the role of nursing staff-clinical instructor has flourished. Many of our staff nurses have served in this capacity. Dr. Hickman is a member of our CNO Staff Nurse Advisory Council and serves as a mentor for the Clinical Practice Summit."
photo, l. to r.: Hickman and Karen Doyle, DNP '20, MS '91, MBA, BSN '85, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer, University of Maryland Medical Center