Presenting the 2020 inductees into the WSNA Hall of Fame

Every two years, WSNA welcomes a new class of inductees into the Washington State Nurses Hall of Fame. This year, the coronavirus pandemic meant that we could not hold our usual induction gala dinner and ceremony. Instead, our six legendary inductees were honored in a small virtual ceremony.

In this article, we present the achievements, vision and determination of our 2020 class of Hall of Fame inductees. They join 71 nurses and leaders inducted into the Washington State Nurses Hall of Fame since its inception in 1996.

WSNA created its Hall of Fame to recognize the dedication and achievements of Washington state registered nurses who have made significant lifetime contributions to the profession of nursing.

Each inductee has demonstrated excellence in the areas of patient care, leadership, education, public service, nurse advocacy, heroism, patient advocacy or clinical practice.

Their contributions have value to nursing beyond the inductee’s lifetime, and their demonstrated excellence has made a difference in the health and social history of Washington
state.

Congratulations to all of the 2020 inductees!

Jan Bussert, BSN, RN

Throughout her career spanning five decades, Bussert has been a tireless and committed champion for WSNA, the American Nurses Association, regis­tered nurses and the nursing profes­sion. She has consis­tently worked to build the power of nurses across Washington state to speak up for themselves and their patients in their workplaces, in the state legis­la­ture and in Washington, D.C. Read more...

Darrell Owens, MSN, MSHSA, DNP

Owens is a nurse pioneer who has changed the face of pallia­tive care in Washington state. He has been working to change patient care and the systems that allow for patient-centered care for more than 20 years, including devel­oping and building the inpatient pallia­tive care service and the outpa­tient primary pallia­tive care program within the UW Medicine system. Read more...

Donna Poole, MSN, ARNP, PMHCNS-BC

Poole has long been a nursing leader in Washington state, and she has led in so many different capac­i­ties: as presi­dent of WSNA, as a founding member and leader of the Association of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses, as a 30-year affil­iate faculty member at the University of Washington School of Nursing and as an appointed member of the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assur­ance Commission. Read more...

Kristen Swanson, PhD, RN, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN

Swanson has has had an incred­ible impact on patient care, leader­ship, educa­tion, public service and clinical practice through her contri­bu­tions to nursing science and nursing educa­tion. Her Theory of Caring has provided the founda­tion for hundreds of scien­tific studies as well as a theoret­ical frame­work for the nursing care provided at clinical insti­tu­tions worldwide. Read more...

Linda Tieman, RN, MN, FACHE

In 2004, after a long career in nursing and manage­ment, Tieman was named execu­tive director of the newly-formed Washington Center for Nursing, a nonprofit created by state nursing leaders in the face of a looming shortage of nurses. WCN was to focus on nursing resources, educa­tion and workforce issues in Washington state. Tieman took charge and for the next 11 years tirelessly advocated for Washington’s nursing workforce and built a state nursing center that is a leader in the nation. Read more...

Nancy Woods, PhD, RN, FAAN

Woods is a legend in nursing – locally, nation­ally and inter­na­tion­ally. In fact, she was named a ​“Living Legend” by the American Academy of Nursing in 2017. The recog­ni­tion came after decades of research, teaching and leader­ship that have shaped not only the practice of nursing, but also the educa­tion and careers of legions of nurses. Read more...