Susan Cooper has been a registered practical nurse (RPN) for the past 10 years. She was a personal support worker (PSW) for 10 years prior to that. On Tuesday, her decades of service were recognised as she was named the RPN of the Year by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions.
“I was very excited,” Cooper said. “I couldn’t believe I had been chosen.”
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She was told she had won the award last week, and it was handed out during a small gathering at Kingston General Hospital.
Cooper says the nursing profession “runs through her blood.” Her mother is a retired nurse, her sister and daughter are nurses as well.
But she remains humble in accepting the award.
“I have a lot of great co-workers,” Cooper said. “It’s a team award, absolutely.”
The Nurse of the Year award is handed out each year to coincide with nursing week.