MCNP Honors AANP 2020 State Awards for Excellence Recipients

Patricia (Pat) O'Brien has been awarded the 2020 AANP NP State Award for Excellence. This award is given annually to an individual NP in each state who has demonstrated excellence in NP practice.  Pat is a clinical expert in the field of pediatric cardiology, as well as an active nursing leader locally, nationally and internationally. Her career has been filled not only with providing care to patients and families, but also with extensive contributions to the field of pediatric nursing.

Pat is a leader for all advanced practice nurses providing care in the acute care setting, as she herself was the pioneer of the role, being one of the first PNPs to develop an inpatient PNP role in the mid 1980’s at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH). Her knowledge base and extensive dedication to the role allowed others to practice in this capacity, as Pat dedicated her time to role development, providing the first competencies in the position, as well as elevated the role of APNs to be a valued and equal part of the multidisciplinary team with physician collaboration in the inpatient setting. Clinically, Pat’s work evolved to manage a large pediatric population from the New England area in the outpatient setting at BCH and she facilitates continuity of care for patients and families through admissions.

From the inception of her role to the current time, Pat has led a path for a model that now includes over 400 nurse practitioners at Boston Children’s Hospital contributing to care of families in all divisions hospital-wide. She has been a key mentor and teacher to many NPs practicing within the field and has provided exceptional care to countless families.

Janet Sweeney Rico has been awarded the 2020 AANP Massachusetts State Award for Nurse Practitioner Advocate Excellence. This award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution toward increasing awareness and recognition of the NP role. 

Janet has been accomplished in all areas of advanced practice nursing for over 37 years. She has excelled in her ongoing clinical practice as a superb clinician in settings that have spanned the continuum of healthcare in both acute and community-based settings. The heart of all her professional efforts is centered in improving access and reducing health disparities for intellectually and developmentally delayed populations.

She has served in major policy leadership positions including the Chair of the MA Board of Registration in Nursing, and she is currently the Chair of Steering and Policy for the ARC of Mass. She has served on the Massachusetts Patient-Centered Medical Home Council as well as Co-Chaired Massachusetts Turning 22 Task Force for individuals with ID/DD and complex medical needs. These efforts have resulted in more community-based supports for this population. She is also a board member for Fallon Health and chairs their Quality Committee.

In her role as Assistant Dean at Northeastern University, she is working to enhance the quality of advanced practice education as well as leading a statewide initiative to bring state labor leaders, community care leaders in nursing educators to spearhead strategies to enhance the preparation of nurses to work with intellectually and developmentally delayed patients in community settings. Her work as a precepting NP, nursing education and policy leader position her as a worthy recipient of the state award.

The MCNP will be honoring Patricia and Janet during a virtual Zoom reception on Monday - October 19, 2020 from 7:00 PM to 8 PM.

If you would like to Join Us, please CLICK HERE for additional details and RSVP information.