Burgus named to Iowa's 100 Great Nurses list

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IOWA CITY - The 100 Great Iowa Nurses program is proud to announce the 2021 honorees have been selected and announced. Nurses selected for this honor represent many sectors of health care, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and school and office nurses. These exemplary nurses are selected based on their concern for humanity, their contribution to the community and to the nursing profession, their leadership and mentoring.

Amanda Burgus, Quality Director/Emergency Preparedness, at Fort Madison Community Hospital, was named to the 2021- 100 Great Nurses list of honorees. Starting as a staff nurse, Amanda has touched many areas of nursing supervision holding the position of house supervisor, case manager, Director of Inpatient Services, Director of Emergency Services and Annex Infusion Services leading to her current role as Quality Director/Emergency Preparedness. She has been with FMCH for twelve years.

“Amanda is a true reflection of the foundations of nursing.  She exhibits strong critical thinking skills, always puts the patient first and utilizes the tools available to the medical team to appropriately diagnose and treat the patient,” explained Vicki Kokjohn, Vice President of Patient Care Services at FMCH. 

 Amanda attributes her pursuit of a health care career to her mom who went back to school to earn a nursing degree when Amanda was ten. 

“I am truly humbled and honored to have been nominated and could not ask for a better work family. I am successful because of this team!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I love this organization, my team, co-workers, everyone here and couldn’t ask for any better!” expressed Burgus.

This year, the 100 honorees represent 39 Iowa counties. Honorees were nominated by colleagues, patients, doctors, friends, and family members. The field of nominees was narrowed to 100 by a panel of reviewers, including nursing professionals and previous honorees.

A virtual celebration of the 100 Great Nurses will be held on Sunday, May 2. This is the 17^th anniversary of the program. The celebration is an annual prelude to National Nurses Week, which begins on May 6 and ends May 12 (the birthday of Florence Nightingale).