By Heather Lusk
A Zionsville resident has earned accolades for her nursing work, recently named a finalist for the 2016 Inspire Awards and recognized at the Salute to Nurses annual banquet.
For 25 years, clinical educator Belinda Wallbank has been in the nursing profession but through the years has moved from a staff nurse position working with patients to an educational role. Her commitment to inspire other nurses to find their best path in nursing helped earn the recognition by the two organizations.
“I think part of it is just recognizing that everyone starts somewhere,” Wallbank said. “You’re not born a nurse; you have to become one.”
Developing skills and knowledge, she said, takes time and is not innate but needs to be learned in practice. Her role is to assign nurses to an area that she thinks would be a good match and then follows them through the process to ensure their career path is a smooth transition.
Wallbank was honored at the annual Salute to Nurses banquet last month, receiving one of six special recognition awards, for which there are several hundred nominees from central Indiana each year. She received the Nurse Educator Award for her work at IU Health Methodist Hospital.
She was also a finalist for the 2016 Inspire Awards, honoring individuals who have inspired excellence in the workplace or community through mentoring.
Her role in professional development allows her to help those who have chosen the nursing profession but also to impact patients through the nurses with whom she works.
“Nursing is an amazing career,” Wallbank said. ”We work hard, but we also have lots of opportunities in our profession.”
“We get the privilege to touch lots of lives,” she said.
