Congratulations to Sandy Pinkston, Registered Nurse in Obstetrics, on being named the recipient of the MDH APPLE Award for April 2011. APPLE stands for "Achieving outstanding Performance in Patient care, Leadership, Loyalty and Enthusiasm for MDH."

Upon graduation from the nursing program at Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing in Evansville, Indiana in 1984, Sandy started her nursing career at East Richland Memorial Hospital in her hometown of Olny, Illinois. Sandy gained further experience at St. Mary’s in Quincy before being hired at MDH as an Obstetrics nurse on August 28, 1990.

The highest level of clinical skills is consistently demonstrated by Sandy. She is an excellent mentor for new staff and for students. Sandy works diligently to assist with teaching peers the new computer charting system in OB. She is also an instructor for the prenatal and cesarean classes which are provided to the public. Her major strength is her ability to remain calm and level-headed in an emergency situation while being a strong leader and clinical expert for her peers.

Co-workers, visitors, patients, and ancillary staff all describe Sandy as friendly and approachable. She treats all peers with respect and demonstrates value for their individual roles within the department.  Sandy is kind, considerate, and compassionate and demonstrates a positive attitude. 

“Sandy continuously goes out of her way to make things easier for the entire department and many times takes on more than her fair share of work to make her co-worker’s job easier,” according to a nominator. Sandy is a warm, friendly, and knowledgeable nurse and an excellent resource for both new employees and experienced staff. She genuinely cares about her patients and always goes above and beyond to make their experience at MDH a positive and pleasant one for both them and their families.

“I always look forward to working with Sandy because she is very calm and easy going and makes it easier to deal with some of the most challenging of situations with her caring heart and excellent clinical skills. You can always count on Sandy if you ever need anything. . . . Everyone [in the department] was in agreement that they couldn’t think of a more deserving person who embodies all the Apple Award characteristics any better than she does,” states another nominator.

Sandy has two sons and a daughter. In her spare time, Sandy enjoys attending her children’s activities and spending time with them. Sandy also enjoys traveling and shopping.