Bonnie Olney

Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Bonnie Olney has been a Registered Nurse for three years and has worked all of those years at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) as a staff nurse in the 7-South Acute In-Patient Psychiatric Unit. She routinely serves as the charge nurse and makes assignments based on patient acuity and staff experience. Bonnie realizes that each veteran has many problems, which led to psychiatric hospitalization and works closely with social workers and psychiatrists to provide the patient with a true "Treatment Team" approach. Patients and their families frequently send letters of appreciation to Bonnie for the excellent care she provides. One Vietnam veteran, hospitalized for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, wrote the following, "If I could give any award I received in combat to you, I would give you the Gallantry Cross and a ribbon with a star made of bronze for performance above and beyond the call of duty." Co-workers consider Bonnie to be the "twinkling star in the 7S constellation"; she is a very positive person who arrives at work with a smile on her face and a kind word for everyone. In 2008, Bonnie received an incentive award from the VAMC for developing a three-part series called the "Power of Words" to teach positive communication skills to veterans. Bonnie earned her B.S.N. from Wright State University and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, the honor society of nurses.

High Resolution Photo

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