An Amazing Nurse

Lillie Shockney Honored by Johnson & Johnson

by John Eichberger

People within the Johns Hopkins community have long known that Lillie Shockney, MAS, RN, is an amazing nurse. Now she’s got the moniker to prove it.

Shockney, administrative director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Breast Center since 1997, was selected as this year’s “Amazing Nurse” in the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future national contest to celebrate and reward nurses’ value. Shockney’s work with breast cancer patients was recognized by Johnson & Johnson during the 2011 CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute show in Los Angeles on December 11, 2011.

“The title really made me feel good,” Shockney says. “I hope one of the outcomes is that more people making a career decision will consider nursing.”

Shockney, a two-time breast cancer survivor and registered nurse who has been employed by Johns Hopkins since 1983, has worked tirelessly to improve the care of breast cancer patients around the world. She is responsible for the quality-of-care and patient-education programs; the survivor volunteer team; community outreach at a local, regional and national level; and the Breast Center’s Website and patient advocacy.

Shockney is also a guest lecturer and distinguished speaker at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Marie Nolan, PhD, RN, School of Nursing professor and chair of the Department of Acute and Chronic Care, has known Shockney for 25 years and nominated her for the award. She says as soon as she learned of the competition she thought of Shockney, who has exhibited exceptional leadership skills throughout her career.

“She is a phenomenon, an unstoppable force, a living example of how good can come from suffering and how much good can be accomplished,” Nolan wrote in her nomination letter. “Like a whirlwind, she has changed breast cancer treatment and survival at Johns Hopkins, in the U.S., and globally.”

Shockney initially was selected as one of 20 semifinalists from several thousand nominees. Johnson & Johnson asked voters to pick their favorite nominee on their contest’s Facebook page. “It became the cause célèbre at the School of Nursing,” Nolan says. “We were really behind her nomination and we wanted her to win.”

Shockney made the next cut to five finalists and was then selected as the top winner by a panel of five national nursing experts.

To post congratulations or to view the “Amazing Nurse” video featuring Shockney, visit www.nursing.jhu.edu/shockney.