Nurses are often present at some of life’s most valuable moments. They save lives. They heal. They deliver babies. They care for you when you are sick. And so much more.

There are more than 273,000 licensed registered nurses in New York alone making a difference. How often do we get the chance to thank that person that has made such a profound difference in our lives? Not that often.

The Times Union allows our community to thank our nurses for all they do during their Salute to Nurses throughout National Nurses Week.

We want to shout out one nurse in particular. Dawna Thompson is a registered nurse at Community Care Endocrinology of Niskayuna. She is also a 2022 Times Union Salute to Nurses, Nurse of the Year Finalist!

When we spoke to Dawna about being a Finalist for Nurse of the Year, she expressed,

You have probably heard the saying, ‘It takes an entire community to raise a child’? Well, I think it takes an entire medical community to raise a nurse. To be able to completely and effectively utilize my resources and talents and express my heart for humanity, it takes every single one of us. Like a long paper doll chain, cut out of the same “cloth” with a common desire to help people and connected hand to hand with the patient. This is the thought behind how I work. For 27 years of working with different teams of people in different places (pediatrics, med-surg, family practice, endocrine), one thing is completely clear: I cannot think of another profession where I would feel as honored to be a part of or want to get up and join in with every single day. I am humbled by this nomination. Thank you.

We are thrilled to have one of our own here at CCP recognized for her hard work every day. We thank Dawna for her dedication to our team at CCP, Community Care Endocrinology of Niskayuna, and her fantastic care for our endocrine patients. Her work does not go unnoticed! Join us as we congratulate our very own Dawna Thompson, Nurse of the Year Finalist!