Forrest General Hospital Honors Nurses of the Year
Nurse of the Year, Kwadric Smith, RN
HATTIEBSURG, MS (May 8, 2025) – Nurses at Forrest General Hospital celebrated not only Nurses Week, May 6-12, but are celebrating the whole year with the theme, “The Future is Here.” Forrest General Hospital honored its outstanding nurses during National Nurses Week celebrations including announcing Nurse of the Year, Nurse Leader of the Year, and Tech of the Year.
Nurses were recognized during a luncheon in the Cafeteria Meeting Rooms on Thursday, May 8. “Our nurses are truly ‘out of this world’,” said Vice President and CNO, Kim Reddish, RN, MSN, CENP, CCRN (alum). “I am proud to say our nurses and leaders are committed to building the future of nursing for generations, which keeps a commitment to Hattiesburg and the surrounding communities. Today is about shining a light on those nurses who reach for the stars consistently and make a way for future generations.”
Reddish recognized the American Nurses Association’s theme, ‘to shine a light on “The Power of Nurses.’ “Well, our team is shining their own light, and are out of this world, making a way for the future. We have more nursing students in the system, more preceptors, and less vacancies because they are great caregivers, teammates, and leaders who are dedicated to the future of nursing, this organization, and to their community.”
Quoting Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, who said, “Nursing is a progressive art such that to stand still is to go backward,” Reddish noted Forrest General nurses are moving forward, into the future and are defining what excellence in nursing means.”
The announcement of the nursing awards is always a special time during Nurses Week, as these men and women are often known as the heart of healthcare. This year’s winners include:
Registered Nurse of the Year: Kwadric Smith, RN, Skilled Nursing Unit;
Licensed Practical Nurse of the Year: Ashley Harris, LPN, Patient Care Unit, 3T;
Nurse Leader of the Year: Ryan Schmidt, RN, 9T;
RN Rookie of the Year: Mollie Martin, RN, Intensive Care Unit
LPN Rookie of the Year: Kaneshia Youngblood, LPN, Wound Healing Center
Tech of the Year: Larry Hale, Emergency Department
Student Nurse of the Year: Kailee Lanier, RN Student Tech, Patient Care Unit, 2T
Nurse Preceptor of the Year: Ginger Jenkins, RN, Intensive Care Unit;
Team of the Year: Jacob Kilpatrick, RN, & Logan Holmes, RN, Emergency Department, Patient Care Coordinators
Other activities during the week included: a blessing of the hands, a pancake breakfast, snacks, snow cones, and nurse recognitions.
For more information on how to become a nurse at Forrest General, visit joinforresthealth.org
