TROY — Two Troy residents were honored during Oakland University’s 37th annual Nightingale Awards for Nursing Excellence on May 7.

The Oakland University School of Nursing hosts this celebration each year during National Nurses Week. This year, the event took place on Oakland University’s main campus in Rochester Hills.

According to oakland.edu/nursing/nightingale, “the Oakland University Nightingale Awards for Nursing Excellence has applauded the constant advancement of nursing through the work of outstanding professionals. For three decades, this has been a night to acknowledge and strengthen the Michigan nursing community.”

Michaelene West won a Nightingale Award in the Post-Acute Care & Specialty Nursing category. West has been a nurse for around nine years and currently works in orthopedics at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak.

“Being recognized for this award is a reminder of the Nightingale pledge I made when becoming a nurse,” West stated in an email. “We devote our profession to the well-being of others and advocating for their care. …I’ve stayed devoted to the unit because I truly love what I do. I pride myself knowing I give quality, compassionate care to each patient. Whether I’m caring for patients at the bedside or charge nurse for the day overseeing the unit, the greatest reward is seeing the influence your actions make in the lives of others. The Nightingale award is an honorable achievement that will be my encouragement to continue providing extraordinary care.”

Tiffany Morelli, who works at Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital as a clinical nurse in the emergency department, was selected for Excellence in Staff Nurse Practice Runner-Up. She has worked there for over 12 years and has helped develop programming within the hospital that helps those suffering from substance use disorder (SUD), which has expanded to 10 Corewell Health East sites. Morelli has developed policies, participated in securing grants, spoken on many platforms regarding SUD, developed new processes, developed referral programs with community partners, sits on several boards within the community and collaborates with numerous community organizations to help patients.

“I’m blessed to be acknowledged for this award and the work that we all have done as a team,” Morelli said in an email.

Each Nightingale Award winner received a check for $1,000, a solid bronze statue of Florence Nightingale and a Nightingale pin. Runners-up received a commemorative plaque. Honorees were nominated by their peers, supervisors and patients in recognition of their superior nursing expertise.

For more information, visit oakland.edu.