West Park Healthcare Centre has a history of its staff members being nominated for Hospital News’ Annual Nursing Hero Awards, and 2022 was no different. 

The Centre rallied behind our exceptional Registered Nurse Nicanor (Nic) Molina, providing testimony after testimony to his team-player spirit, his empathy, and his leadership. Staff members and patients nominated Molina, who won the 2nd place Nursing Hero Award. 

Molina has spent the last 12 years as a dedicated member of the clinical services team at West Park, providing high quality, patient-centred care, mentoring students, and going above and beyond by involving himself in committees, working groups, and pandemic response activities.

From a patient care perspective, Molina’s patients described a clinician who understands their needs, listens to their challenges, and is someone they fundamentally trust. Nursing students and new staff note that the example he sets has a long-lasting impact on them.

The reputation he has established across the organization is what often leads him to be approached to contribute to important projects. Over the last number of years he has been involved in user groups that provide input into the design of the new hospital (opening in 2023), he’s been a super-user helping to lead the implementation of automatic medication dispensing units, he’s a member of the Safe Medication Practice Committee, and has been a member of West Park’s Best Practice Implementation Committee since its inception. While all of this, in addition to his role on the unit, seems like more than one person could possibly take on, he also contributed to the COVID-19 response by vaccinating staff and members of the public at our vaccine clinic.

Read the full nomination submitted by West Park staff in Hospital News here.