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Pardee veterans named to list of Great 100 Nurses

Marché Tucker and Jennifer White are named to Great 100 Nurses in North Carolina.

By Lightning Reports, Published: August 19, 2019

Marché Tucker, Joint Center patient representative and a pre-anesthesia department nurse, and Jennifer White, a clinical education specialist for Service Excellence and Organizational Development, have been named Great 100 Nurses in North Carolina by The Great 100 Inc., Pardee UNC Health Care announced.

The award recognizes registered nurses who demonstrate excellence in practice and commitment to their profession. Honorees will be celebrated at the 2019 Great 100 Gala on Saturday, Oct. 5, in Concord.

“We are proud of the outstanding patient-oriented care Marché and Jennifer provide each day and we offer them sincere congratulations on this accomplishment,” said Jay Kirby, president and CEO of Pardee. “Our nurses are an integral part of quality, safety and service at Pardee, and we are glad to have Marché and Jennifer on our team.”

Tucker has worked for Pardee for 31 years and has been a nurse for 28 years. She earned her associate’s degree in nursing from Blue Ridge Community College and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Western Carolina University. She is the vice president and president-elect of the North Carolina Association of PeriAnesthesia Nurses and the secretary/treasurer of the Mountain Area PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Tucker initiated the Pet Therapy Program at Pardee. She and her dog Drake were the first certified therapy team at the hospital. She also volunteers in the community with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina. Tucker is the recipient of the 2018 North Carolina PeriAnesthesia Nurse of the Year Award and the 2019 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses Above and Beyond Award.

A Pardee employee for 24 years, White has been a nurse for 21 years. She earned her associate’s degree in nursing from Blue Ridge Community College, her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Western Carolina University and her master’s degree in nursing education from Lenoir-Rhyne University. She currently serves as the president of the North Carolina Association of PeriAnesthesia Nurses and the Mountain Area PeriAnesthesia Nurses. A certified trauma nurse, white has been honored with the 2015 North Carolina PeriAnesthesia Nurse of the Year Award, the 2015 Daisy Award for Pardee and the 2014 Pardee Shooting Star Award. She also volunteers with the Pardee Faith Community Nursing Program, which offers monthly blood pressure screenings for Mud Creek Baptist Church. Both Tucker and White are members of the resource development and emerging leaders strategic work teams for the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses.