Blog Contribution by NIHD Members Kaycee Shiskowsky RN, MBA, NE-BC, EDAC and Julie Dumser, RN.

Each year at the Healthcare Design Conference + Expo (HCD), healthcare interior designers, architects, facilities managers and planners, and clinicians can apply to serve as Nightingale Award jurors who review and evaluate products in the exhibit hall. Awards are given to those who make a significant contribution to the healthcare built environment through product innovation. This past year in San Antonio, a few NIHD members served as jurors in the Nightingale Awards, and share their experience below.

National Sales Director for Gerflor, Paul McKinney, EDAC, shares new product information with NIHD member expo hall attendees at HCD 2022.

NIHD Member Jurors

KAYCEE: The 2022 HCD Conference + Expo in San Antonio was the second time I attended this conference since I started my role as a Manager of Clinical Planning and Design, but this time I wanted to attend with a purpose. This was the first time in attendance for my colleague and fellow blogger.

I had already signed up to attend the NIHD events but as a nurse I wanted to make the most of my time at this conference. Since I work for a single hospital system, I thought it would be a valuable experience to learn more about the products that are exhibited in the expo hall. What better way than participating in the Nightingale Awards as a juror? So when the opportunity to apply for a juror position came out, and the application wasn’t too daunting, I decided to apply.

JULIE: I too had already signed up to attend the conference; I have wanted to attend for several years. I had a lot of exposure to this meeting from the architects and designers at my employer. I knew that they got a lot of education here as well as networking to catch up with colleagues. When the Nightingale juror opportunity was announced, I got very excited at the possibility of becoming involved with this specific aspect.

KAYCEE: After receiving my approval to be a juror the committee sent me approximately 7-8 different categories of submissions to review and score prior to the conference.

JULIE: We were informed that there had been fifty products entered into 18 categories. There would be three teams of five jurors, Kaycee and I met here at the conference as we were placed randomly on a team together. The jurors would view our specific products on Sunday, prior to the opening of the exhibit floor.

KAYCEE: When we arrived at the conference and was able to meet our fellow jurors it felt like a great sample of the appropriate disciplines ranging from clinical experts to interior designers to architects. Each one of us brought a different perspective to weigh into our decisions and scoring. I really enjoyed seeing the new products that truly addressed the clinical concerns we have in today’s healthcare facilities with technology, lighting, flooring, casework design and furniture.

JULIE: It was exciting to get to look at detail of products that had been submitted. I’m the kind of person that always has so many questions and the fact that we got to see an extensive level of detail really enhanced the overall experience for me. It also gave us a chance to ask the vendors what type of feedback they’ve received from places that have implemented the new products.

KAYCEE: I really enjoyed reading through the applications submitted by each vendor and placing preliminary scores on the submissions. I particularly paid close attention to the clinical benefits they identified to understand if the vendor truly understood the healthcare priorities. One thing that surprised me was the amount of wood and fabric displays indicating use in hospitals which doesn’t correlate with our Joint Commission standards. I also loved the innovative ways that products created space saving options like the condensed lockers and the creative hand sanitizer options. One drawback of being a Nightingale Juror was that we did miss a full day of educational sessions, but the overall knowledge gained on the products available was incredibly valuable for future projects and opportunities.

JULIE: After each team reviewed their product assignments we met together as a large team. We then discussed the winners in each category and collectively chose the overall Best of Competition award. It was a very educational and inspiring experience being a Nightingale juror. I highly recommend that anyone with an interest in products for healthcare, for your place or for somewhere you’ve been, don’t hesitate to apply for next year.