The Great 100 Nurses in North Carolina honors nurses around the state for their commitment to excellence. The recipients are distinguished for their outstanding professional ability and contributions to improving health care services in their communities. This year, 25 ECU Health nurses were honored, including Anne Chadwick, Robin Lanier, Sharon Watford, Gloria Waters, Lindsey Woodlief, April Bracy and Claire McFadyen.
Anne Chadwick
Anne Chadwick, a staff nurse IV in the medical step down unit, joined what was then Pitt County Memorial Hospital in 1982 after graduating with her degree in nursing. She didn’t know if nursing would be a good fit, but despite a retirement in 2013, she came back to work at the bedside, and she’s also an adjunct nursing instructor at Pitt Community College. “I have had absolutely no regrets – I love it!”
Anne joined ECU Health after completing her degree at ECU, but proximity wasn’t the only reason. “I like working here,” she said. “I’m proud of our facility. I’ve worked in different roles, and I’ve never felt stagnant or burnt out.”
Despite her passion, Anne was still surprised when she found out she was a Great 100 Nurse. “I was thrilled and appreciative that they wanted to nominate me,” she said. “I’ve known others who were nominated and didn’t get it, so I thought there was no way I’d get it.”
As for why she was nominated, Anne said, “I don’t really know,” but she recalled taking more than one student when a student needed a preceptor, and she once comforted a patient’s husband in the hallway after he made a difficult health care decision for his wife. “He grabbed me and I just hugged him and let him cry,” she recalled. “I don’t know if it’s that, but I try to have compassion for our patients.”
Robin Lanier (Ellis)
Robin Lanier, an assistant manager of nursing in the medical unit at ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital, was born and raised in Tarboro, and it was her mother and a teacher at Tarboro High School who gave Robin the idea to become a nurse.
“From my mom’s perspective, nursing offered stability. I’d never have to worry about finding a job,” Robin said. “Ms. Wainwright taught medical terminology in high school and she was my favorite teacher. Being in her class really made me choose the nursing path.”
Robin joined ECU Health in 2013, and although she chose Edgecombe Hospital because it was close to home, she stays because it feels like home. “The friendships I’ve made, the support I’ve received – it’s nice to be seen and get to know people on a personal level. You get close and support each other when life happens,” she said.
Funny enough, Robin nominated one of her colleagues as a Great 100 Nurse, so when she got the letter in the mail, she thought it was about the nominee winning the award. “I was so excited for her, and then I saw it was me who had won,” she said. “I was happy for me, but I really wanted her to win. There are so many who really deserve to be recognized.”
Winning was a surprise, but Robin said she hopes it’s a sign of her desire to help others. “I try to take the time to make people feel special, because they are,” she said. “If there’s something I can do that will make someone’s day better, I try to do it. It’s important to me that people are taken care of – our patients and our team members.”
Sharon Watford
Sharon Watford joined what was then Pitt County Memorial Hospital in 1988, and she has worked in several departments over the last 36 years, including the medical surgical unit and the operating room. She currently serves as a staff nurse IV in a pain management outpatient clinic.
While Sharon said she landed on nursing as a career somewhat accidentally, during nursing school, her mother was diagnosed with kidney failure secondary to lupus, and she spent a lot of time with her mother in the hospital. “That solidified that I was doing what I was supposed to do,” she said.
She was “floored” when she discovered she was a Great 100 Nurse this year. “That’s the ultimate of nursing honors,” she said. “I have admired those who received it, and I didn’t think I’d ever get it.”
Still, Sharon shared that she aims to make a connection with each of her patients. “Our clinic is fast paced, and I try to maximize my time with patients so they don’t feel like they’re in a drive through,” she said. “I’m committed to this profession and to ECU Health, and I love my work.”
It’s special that 25 nurses from ECU Health are being recognized this year, something Sharon said represents the dedication of our nurses. “Our people go above and beyond; that’s what we’re called to do,” she said. “We care for the whole patient and meet their needs.”
Gloria Waters
Gloria Waters knew from an early age she wanted to be a nurse. “My mom made me a nurse’s cap out of notebook paper, a black crayon to draw the stripe across the top and a bobby pin to secure it to my head,” Gloria recalled. “She’d put a sweater over my shoulders and I’d pretend to be a nurse.”
Gloria attended Lenoir Memorial Hospital School of Nursing right out of high school, and her parents encouraged her while she studied. “I remember them sitting at the table with me and helping me study. I told them about the cardiovascular system and how the heart has four chambers, and dad said, ‘just like a carburetor in a car!’ They were always there for me.”
Gloria came to ECU Health Medical Center because as a larger hospital, it offered the opportunity to grow in her profession. “I learned and practiced skills I’d never had a chance to do at my previous job,” she said. “I was given the opportunity to grow and get more experience.”
That, and the people she works with, has kept her here for 22 years. “The floor is like a family. Even with the growth of the hospital, the atmosphere is a good one. We have some pretty amazing people who work here.”
Of winning the award, Gloria said she was honored just to be nominated. “I’m appreciative someone thought I was deserving,” she said. “I do what I do because I love it. People ask when I plan to retire, and I don’t know. I have no plans to retire because I’ll miss the people and doing something I have always loved.”
Lindsey Woodlief
From a nursing assistant to a doctor of nursing practice, Lindsey Woodlief has grown professionally and personally at ECU Health. She joined ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital in 2014, and through the HomeGrown Program, she graduated with her associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) in 2019. As a recent doctor of nursing practice (DNP) graduate, she will now serve as a family nurse practitioner at ECU Health Family Medicine in Pinetops, NC. “My journey reflects a deep commitment to lifelong learning, compassionate care and service to my community,” she said.
From an early age, Lindsey witnessed her family emulate selflessness and compassion. Her mother taught students with special needs, and her grandmother, also a nurse, served as an inspiration. Her uncle became a quadriplegic after a hunting accident at 18, so Lindsey saw the importance of caring for others.
At ECU Health Edgecombe, Lindsey said she built her forever home and felt grounded in her community. That proximity, as well as the close-knit team she works with, has kept her here. “Working at a small community hospital has given me something special,” she said. “I’ve formed lasting friendships with co-workers and community members, and in our intensive care unit (ICU), we are more than a team; we’re a family.”
While there are other awards nurses can receive, the Great 100 Nurse award means more than clinical success. “This award reflects countless hours, effort, integrity and heart that nurses pour into their patients and communities every day. We are driven by the desire to make a meaningful difference,” she said.
It’s also no surprise to her that ECU Health represents a quarter of the Great 100 Nurses this year. “It’s a reflection of the culture and mission that drive everything we do,” she said. “At ECU Health, what sets us apart is how deeply our system lives out its values. We’re not just committed to delivering high-quality care; we are equally invested in the growth, education and well-being of our team members and the communities we serve.”
“You may have heard the saying, ‘not my monkey, not my circus,’” she continued. “But anyone who knows me knows I tend to make everything my monkey and circus.” Lindsey said she doesn’t seek praise, but she tries to show up with a full heart for her patients and her team. “I’m the nurse you can call on her day off and talk you through a task, the one who will show up at 2 a.m. to help the unit, bed hair and all, and the one who’s at every community event,” she said. “To me, being a nurse doesn’t end when I clock out.”
April Bracy
April Bracy, an assistant manager in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVIU), has been an ECU Health team member for almost 16 years. She began working in the ED at ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital before moving to ECU Health Bertie’s ED and inpatient unit, followed by a transfer to the Medical Center where she worked in palliative care and now the CVIU.
April said she was inspired to work in health care by her family. They called her their “little nurse,” because she liked to help them when they were sick. While she had the initial desire to be a surgeon, her mother was the person who inspired her to pursue nursing. “She explained that there were numerous fields I could try until I found the specialty that fit and made me happy,” she said.
She joined ECU Health, despite other hospitals being closer to her home, because it offered more opportunities, especially the chance to grow and learn. Now, as a Great 100 Nurse, April said she is humbled and honored, and she is proud to be among so many exceptionally great nurses.
Claire McFadyen
A third-generation nurse to serve eastern North Carolina, Claire McFadyen has worked at ECU Health for 17 years. Her grandmother was a CRNA at what was then Pitt County Memorial Hospital, and her mother retired as an operating room nurse at ECU Health Edgecombe. Now, Clair is continuing her family’s legacy as a staff nurse IV in ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital’s ICU.
Claire said she was drawn to ECU Health in part because of her family connection, but also because she wanted to serve where she lives. “I always maintain an active role in the local community, attending and hosting events for education and resources for adults and the younger population, as well as precepting new nursing entering the field of critical care,” she said.
It’s an honor to be recognized as a Great 100 Nurse, and Claire said she is grateful and humbled to be listed among her ECU Health team. She also hopes the award is a reflection of her persistent passion for nursing at the bedside. “The impact of bedside nursing on quality health care is sometimes understated,” she said. “I try to instill my love for the profession and critical care in every patient I treat and in every student or new graduate I encounter.”
The recipients will be honored at a statewide gala in October, to be held in Goldsboro, North Carolina.