(Spirit Lake)– A special honor for a Nurse Practitioner at the Spirit Lake V-A Outpatient Clinic.
Susan Willett was presented Wednesday with the Sioux Falls Veteran’s Administration’s 2010 Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Nursing in the Registered Nurse-Expanded Role Category.
Paul Bockelman, Director of the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center, was on hand in Spirit Lake for Wednesday’s presentation to Willett. He says the award is presented once a year and is based on recognition by co-workers.
Willett tells KUOO news she’s very honored to be this year’s recipient of the award, adding she finds her job of assisting area veterans in their homes with every day living tasks as very rewarding. Willett adds it’s a real honor, saying “They took care of us, now we have an opportunity to take care of them”.
Willett also spoke of the growth of the Spirit Lake V-A Outpatient clinic, which opened three years ago. She says they began with two nurses and herself. Willett says they have now grown to four nurses along with herself as a nurse practitioner, providing home health services to veterans in 13 northwest Iowa counties and 10 in southwest Minnesota.
