A faculty member and a nursing student from the Mary Black School of Nursing at University of South Carolina Upstate will be recognized on April 6 with prestigious awards from the South Carolina Nurses Foundation.

Dr. Julie Moss, assistant professor of nursing, will receive the prestigious South Carolina Palmetto Gold nursing award. Moss earned a RN-BSN degree and a Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, IN. She earned a Ph.D. in nursing from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and defended her dissertation April 2010 with a research study conducted in rural Ecuador regarding the health beliefs and practices of rural Ecuadorians. At USC Upstate, Moss is leading international community health classes to international destinations such as South Africa and Ecuador.

Palmetto Gold is the premier statewide nurse recognition program that annually salutes 100 registered nurses for exceptional nursing practice and commitment to the profession.  Nominations are received from nursing employers and peers from a variety of nursing education and health care facilities across the state. Selection criteria includes: promotes and advances the profession of nursing in a positive way in the practice setting or in the community; displays caring and commitment to patients, families and colleagues; demonstrates leadership and assists others in growth and development; and contributes to overall outcomes in the practice area/setting.

Jane Montero, a nursing student at USC Upstate Greenville Campus, will receive a Palmetto Gold Scholarship. Montero, a native of York, PA, is currently pursuing her bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN). She works at St. Francis downtown in Greenville as a cardiology technician.

The Palmetto Gold Scholarship recognizes the student’s caring and commitment to patients, families and colleagues; leadership; assistance to others’ growth and development; positive promotion of the nursing profession; and high level of academic success. First established in 2002 to recognize and promote nursing as a profession across the state, the Palmetto Gold Scholarship now awards one undergraduate registered nursing student in each of the nursing programs in South Carolina with a $1,000 scholarship.

Moss and Montero, along with the other recipients, will receive their awards at the 12^th annual Palmetto Gold Gala on Saturday, April 6 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Net proceeds from the gala are used to endow scholarships for students in state-approved registered nursing programs in South Carolina, thereby continuing the legacy of excellence in nursing practice for South Carolina citizens.

To learn more, visit www.scpalmettogold.org.