AtlantiCare 2025 Annual Report

Specialty Pipelines in Critical and Emergency Care

Daisy Award Winners

AtlantiCare is proud to celebrate our nurses who have been honored with the DAISY Award for Nursing Excellence, a nationally recognized program that highlights the extraordinary impact nurses have on patients, families and colleagues. This award honors nurses who consistently go above and beyond, demonstrating compassion, clinical excellence, leadership and an unwavering commitment to patient care. Nominated by patients, families and coworkers, DAISY honorees embody AtlantiCare’s mission to make a difference in health and healing, one person at a time. We are proud to recognize and celebrate these nurses whose dedication represents the very best of our profession.

AtlantiCare continues to invest in the professional growth of its nursing workforce through innovative programs that build specialty expertise from within. In 2025, two new initiatives—the Critical Care Fellowship and the Emergency Nurse Association (ENA) Emergency Nurse Residency Program—were launched to prepare nurses for success in the high-acuity environments of critical and emergency care. For many nurses, positions in critical care are highly desired, but the transition from their current role to the fast- paced, high-acuity environment of intensive care (ICU) or progressive care (PCU) is a significant leap. The Critical Care Fellowship Program was created to provide nurses with at least 2 years’ experience with a structured pathway to transition into PCU and ICU roles. During the fellowship, nurses maintain their full-time positions while completing weekly shifts in critical care, paired with targeted classroom education and simulation led by the Professional Practice and Development (PPD) team. The curriculum focuses on advanced skills such as ventilator management, hemodynamic monitoring and pharmacology, helping nurses build confidence, competence and critical thinking at the bedside. In its first year, the Critical Care Fellowship has already contributed to internal advancement opportunities and a stronger foundation of critical care expertise—enhancing both nurse development and better patient care and outcomes across AtlantiCare. The Emergency Nurse Residency Program, the first of its kind in New Jersey, was established in partnership with the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and funded by a Department of Labor GAINS (Growing Apprenticeship in Nontraditional Sectors) grant. This program was developed in collaboration with the ENA and tailored to AtlantiCare by the Emergency Department and Professional Practice & Development teams.

Congratulations to AtlantiCare’s 2025 DAISY Award winners: Olivia Dormanen, BSN, RN Theresa Dunson, LPN MaryAnn De Guzman, RN Joyce Lam, RN Donna Melle, APN, CNM Takesha Scott, RN

Katherine Stafford, RN Christian Taylor, BSN, RN Phuong Vu, RN

Designed for both new graduates and nurses transitioning into emergency care, the program combines simulation-based classroom instruction with six months of guided practice and mentorship. Experienced nurses entering the program without emergency experience receive additional lectures and unit-based orientation to accelerate their transition. While ENA provides the overarching curriculum, we customized the program to meet the unique needs of our emergency departments—creating a model that could be replicated by other systems across the state and beyond. Together, these innovative programs demonstrate AtlantiCare’s commitment to growing its own nursing talent, strengthening specialty care pipelines and ensuring that patients receive expert, compassionate care from confident and well-prepared nurses.

Olivia Dormanen with Mainland 3 MeadowNursing team

From left: Desiree May, Carol Gioia, Christian Taylor

From left: Nurses Mary AnnWilliams, Ronald Sontay, Jamee Dennis, Christine McGloin, Michael Blum, Glenda Elefante, Candylle Stephanie Miral

Michael Charlton withMainlandMother/Baby Nurses

AtlantiCare 2025 Annual Report 30

AtlantiCare 2025 Annual Report 31