Being compared to Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, is one of the highest compliments a nurse can receive. That’s why the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania—which recognize exemplary nursing practice and grant scholarships to students pursuing degrees in nursing at all levels—are named in her honor. The Nightingale Awards are among the most prestigious recognitions for nurses in our region, which makes it so remarkable that Temple Health had three team members selected as Nightingale Award finalists this year.
These nurses—Caitlin Fanning, MSN, RN, OCN, Clinical Practice Lead; Kaitlyn Gregory, DNP, CRNP, RNFA, Director of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) at Fox Chase Cancer Center; and Chaudron Carter Short, PhD, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, Executive Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive of Temple Health—were honored for their exceptional contributions to professional practice, clinical quality, and the field of nursing.
Read on to learn more about each of our finalists, and how this recognition reflects not only their individual excellence, but also our commitment to the highest standards of achievement for nursing as a profession across Temple Health.
Caitlin Fanning, MSN, RN, OCN, Clinical Practice Lead
Finalist: Advanced Practice RN Category
What was the first thing Caitlin Fanning did when she learned she’d been selected as a Nightingale Award finalist? “I called my mom right away,” she says. “She was a nurse for 42 years.”
Her mother isn’t the only one with a considerable amount of nursing experience, either: Fanning herself has been at Fox Chase for 19 years. “It’s the quality of nursing care we provide that has kept me here,” she says. “I work with the best of the best. That’s why being singled out and recognized was humbling. And the nominees were such an esteemed group that to be highlighted as a finalist was really touching. It made me feel like all of my work has been noticed and has made a difference for our nursing staff.”
Fanning began her career at Fox Chase doing direct patient care before becoming a Clinical Practice Lead. “Since I’ve taken the role, my focus has always been on our nurses,” she explains. “I try every day to be their educator, advocate, and resource. I tell them all the time, ‘I’m your biggest cheerleader.’ For so many years, I took care of patients, and now I make sure our nurses are taken care of.”
It was this approach that earned Fanning Nightingale finalist status: she was singled out for contributing to the profession, serving as a mentor and sharing skills, and acting as a role model, as well as contributing to quality patient care outcomes and exhibiting excellence in professional practice. They’re all contributions she’s immensely proud of—just like she couldn’t be happier for her fellow finalists.
“Temple Health has the GOAT of nursing leadership,” she says, referring to Chaudron Carter. “Her recognition was so well received. And I’ve worked with Kaitlyn Gregory for many years at Fox Chase and wasn’t surprised to hear she was a finalist. She’s a fantastic nurse!”
Kaitlyn Gregory, DNP, CRNP, RNFA, Director of Advanced Practice Providers at Fox Chase Cancer Center
Finalist: Doctor of Nursing Practice Category
“I think the highest form of flattery is to be recognized by a peer,” Kaitlyn Gregory says. “No one knows what excellence looks like better than someone who embodies it themselves.” That’s why she was so honored that Susan Rux, PhD, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CENP, CNE, CPCC, FACHE, LNCC, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, OCN, Associate Vice President of Professional Nursing Practice and Research at Fox Chase, nominated her for the Nightingale Award.
“Sue and I work together very closely,” Gregory explains. “I consider her part of my nursing village, both as a colleague and a mentor. She helped me prepare when I applied to be Director of Advanced Practice Providers.”
It was her work in this capacity—and as a Doctor of Nursing Practice more broadly—that earned Gregory finalist status. “I was singled out for showing clinical expertise and translating evidence into practice, which I do in my field of Thoracic Surgery,” Gregory says. “As Director of Advanced Practice Providers, I’ve been implementing Healthy Work Environment standards and using the best evidence to push APP practice forward in terms of autonomy, so APPs know we’re working at the top of our scope and giving our optimal contribution to this institution.
“That’s what leveraging the Doctor of Nursing Practice means: taking evidence and using it to change healthcare,” Gregory continues. “That’s what Sue nominated me for, and it was incredibly humbling: to have someone else recognize that I was translating national data and trends to help our patients and affect practice at Fox Chase.”
Learning she was a finalist only reinforced this feeling. “There are so many wonderful nurses in Pennsylvania doing amazing work,” Gregory explains. “To be considered a finalist is validation that the work I’m doing is meaningful to someone other than myself. You always want to think that you reach more people than just the person sitting next to you, and I think that being selected as a finalist helped me recognize that I’m making an impact on the world beyond my immediate circle.”
That’s why, as Director of Advanced Practice Providers, she’s eager to pay it forward and to nominate another exceptional APP next year. “I can’t wait to nominate another Advanced Practice Provider so they can have this kind of ‘glowy’ moment,” Gregory says. “Every single APP that works here deserves to be nominated.”
Chaudron Carter Short, PhD, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, Executive Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive of Temple Health
Finalist: Nursing Administration, Senior Level/Executive Category
As our Health System’s top nursing executive, Chaudron Carter Short is committed to ensuring nursing excellence—and every year, she seems to raise the bar. Having just overseen Temple University Hospital’s recent Magnet re-certification, she’s now been honored as a Nightingale Award finalist for her exceptional leadership.
While having such an accomplished nurse at the helm does much to inspire the rest of our nursing team, Carter Short goes out of her way to emphasize how important it is to have three Temple Health nurses nominated for the 2024 Nightingale Awards. “It’s proof of the high standard of care that we strive for in every aspect of nursing practice,” she says. “It reflects a culture where excellence is not only encouraged, but celebrated. It also shows that Temple Health is at the forefront of nursing care, and that our team is consistently breaking down barriers to improve patient outcomes, innovate care delivery, and advance the profession.”
For Carter Short, being singled out as a Nightingale Award finalist is also an affirmation of the power of nursing. “It’s a recognition of the heart and soul of the field: of the compassion, dedication, and skill that nurses bring to their work every day,” she says. “It’s a reminder that every moment spent with a patient, every challenge faced, and every success achieved contributes to the larger mission of nursing. Our profession is about more than doing the work: it requires continually learning, evolving, and leading with compassion.”
“On a deeper level,” Carter Short continues, “the Nightingale Award is a powerful reminder of the responsibility we have as nurses to advocate for patients, improve practices, and shape the future of healthcare. It challenges me to think beyond the immediate and consider the ways I can help elevate the profession, whether through mentorship, leadership, or involvement in policy and practice improvements.”