As part of our Hats Off to Nurses series, we are highlighting several Washington State nurses who were honored at our 2017 Hats Off to Nurses event, which kicked off the 2017 Nurses Week.
The WCN is proud to celebrate the following nurses who have made extraordinary contributions to the nursing profession and are champions for equitable health care for Washington’s communities.
Victoria Fletcher, MSN, ARNP, FACNM
Victoria Fletcher, MSN, ARNP, FACNM, is a certified nurse-midwife and advocate for health equity and eliminating health disparities in communities of color. She joined the WCN board of directors in 2005, having served as secretary-treasurer and board president (2013-15). She currently serves as a past president and advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) representative.
She recently retired from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, where she most recently served as Senior Analyst & Lead Surveyor in the Accreditation & Evaluation Department and was previously Director of the Affiliate Operations Evaluation, Accreditation and Evaluation Department. She currently works part-time as an Advanced Practice Clinician at Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands. Her experience includes healthcare administrative roles, providing direct patient care as a nurse-midwife, and as a nurse educator, providing didactic and clinical experiences to graduate and nurse-midwifery students.
Fletcher earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Washington School of Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Illinois at the Medical Center, Chicago.
She has long worked to advance leadership in nursing. She has served as chair of the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission and later as a Pro Tem member and has been actively involved with several community and professional organizations, including the Washington Health Benefit Exchange Advisory Committee, the Ebony Nurses Association of Tacoma, Health Innovation Leadership Network Communities and Equity Accelerator Committee, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, Health Coalition for Communities of Color, WithinReach, March of Dimes, the Washington Association of Black Professionals in Healthcare and the Midwives of Color Committee, where she has mentored aspiring healthcare professionals. Her accolades include the Distinguished Diversity Advocate Award from the University of Washington School of Nursing, Miriam Manisoff Advanced Practice Clinician Award from Planned Parenthood Federation of American, and the ACNM Foundation Clinical Star Award for over 25 years of excellence in clinical practice and for mentoring midwives.
The Honorable Rosa Franklin, RN
The Honorable Rosa Franklin, RN, is the first black woman elected to the Washington State Senate. After graduating from the Good Samaritan Waverly Hospital School of Nursing, Columbia, South Carolina, she dedicated more than 40 years to the nursing profession. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and English from the University of Puget Sound, a master’s degree in social sciences and human relations from Pacific Lutheran University, and also holds a women’s Health Care Specialist Certificate from the University of Washington.
She was elected to the State legislature in 1990, serving there until January 1993, when she was sworn in as Senator from the 29th legislative District. She was a prime sponsor of a bill to fund a nursing resource center to “safeguard and promote patient safety and quality of care” and “address the nursing shortage and ensuring that the public continues to receive safe, quality care,” which became the Washington Center for Nursing. With numerous achievements, she retired in 2010.
Franklin’s many honors include an honorary doctorate from the University of Puget Sound, a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Washington State Democratic Party, and an induction into the Washington State Nurses Association Hall of Fame.
Learn more about honoring a nurse in your community at Hats Off to Nurses 2018 happening on May 5.
