At the end of 2024, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Lakeview announced its nurse of year: Joy Adams, an Austin resident known for her warmth and effervescent smile.
Adams has worked at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for about 7 years. Today, she’s a registered nurse in surgical intensive care, where she supports patients recovering from surgery and critical medical events, and expansion RESCUE, traveling around the hospital to help staff on units that need it.
Her previous positions included a crew nurse, working in several of the hospital’s units and, in 2020, as an extension ICU COVID nurse, helping that unit’s nurses with patients who were intubated.
Out of over 1,200 nominations across all Advocate hospitals, Adams won nurse of the year at Illinois Masonic after a peer committee blind reviewed the nominations and chose her based on her commitment, passion, solution-oriented abilities and evidence-based practice, according to a statement.
“Joy’s unwavering dedication, exceptional leadership, and clinical expertise truly embody the heart and soul of the nursing profession,” Heather Hwang, chief nursing officer of Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, said in a statement. “Being named Nurse of the Year is a testament not only to Joy’s outstanding skills but also to the profound and lasting impact she has on her patients, colleagues and the nursing community.”
Though she was excited and shocked to find out that she won, Adams said she thinks she got the award because of the effort she makes to ensure patients are comfortable.
“I make sure that I speak to everyone,” Adams said. “I make sure that I smile.”
Being there for patients’ families is one of Adams’ favorite parts of her job in the surgical intensive care unit. She added that getting to see a patient’s recovery journey after surgery is also inspiring.
While Adams said there have been countless examples of these moments throughout 2024, one sticks out to her: She tells the story of a sick patient who didn’t make it. Before he died, he was surrounded by his family, who asked if their dog could say goodbye to the man.
“The patient was able to hug the dog for the final moments of him living,” Adams said. “That still touches me because that little thing meant so much to the family.”
The joy of Joy
Adams grew up in Lawndale. Her family moved to California for some of her childhood, but she moved to South Holland before coming to Austin about four years ago.
Adams knew she wanted to be in healthcare since she was small and watched surgeries on TV hospital shows. She thought she wanted to be a surgeon, but that changed after she started working in rehabilitation at the end of her Certified Nursing Assistant program.
“I saw how much the nurses were involved,” she said, and how much they helped people. So, she went back to school to become a nurse while working as a CNA.
“The people around me inspired me just to want to learn more and how much of an impact that I can make being an actual nurse,” Adams said. “You see so many people who lack information, healthcare, experience, and things like that. Why not have nurses who are willing to help?”
Adams also credits her managers at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for teaching her how to be the person she is today in the healthcare field and propelling her career.
“Not only do they give you awards,” Adams said of the hospital, “but they inspire you to grow, to be better, to make change.”
In December, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center held an awards ceremony and gave Adams a certificate.
“Advocate Health nurses are committed to delivering exceptional, evidence-based and equitable care for all,” Jane Dus, senior vice president and chief nursing officer of Advocate Health’s Midwest region, said in a statement. “It is a true honor to witness the remarkable impact they make in transforming lives through innovative and compassionate care every day.”