471 Millennium - Seventeenth Edition HEALTH AND WELLNESS contributions, she holds several accolades, including the Beacon Award, the Award for Career Pathways from the ANA, and several professional awards in nursing. Accounting for her achievements, she credits her strategic mindset and ability to focus on the big picture. She also draws heavily from a lifelong passion for nursing, as well as the guidance of several effective and compassionate mentors. Looking toward the future, Ms. Pollard aspires to see her current project with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to its completion. Upon final implementation, the system will encompass an extraordinary 23 million individuals, marking a truly historic event for the field of health care, as well as a significant milestone in Ms. Pollard’s career. In due course, she anticipates this accomplishment will leave a lasting legacy within the industry. Additionally, Ms. Pollard hopes to take advantage of consultation opportunities at the national level, through which she can continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. impact on patient care. Finally, she has presented at national ANA meetings on the topic of automation to the LNC, discussing its meaningful use and sharing her expertise in this critical area. Over the course of her career, Ms. Pollard has been grateful to observe the elevation of nurses as key members of various clinical settings; using electronic health records and technology, many nurses have been able to stand as partners to physicians, rather than serving beneath them. Likewise, she has helped preside over a change in regulatory standards, which has allowed information to flow directly from providers and clinicians to their patients, ensuring a greater continuum of care, rather than treatment of solitary episodes. In offering her advice to those who may seek a career in health care themselves, Ms. Pollard counsels that younger professionals could benefit by volunteering at hospitals in order to prepare themselves for a journey that demands preparation, hard work, flexibility, selflessness and accountability. Well-regarded for her
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