Mercy nurses named among 100 Great Iowa Nurses for 2020

Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids is pleased to announce that two of its nurses – Laurel Foht, RN, BSN, and Megan Litshcer, RN, BSN, CDE – have been selected among the 100 Great Iowa Nurses for 2020.

The 100 Great Iowa Nurses award recognizes nurses who have made meaningful, lasting contributions to their patients, colleagues and the nursing profession, and who are viewed as mentors to other nursing professionals.

2020 Mercy Award Winners

Laurel Foht has provided direct patient care to hospice and palliative care patients at Mercy for more than 12 years. Her nominator says she has a tireless work ethic and is dedicated to compassionate care that has touched the lives of many patients and families as they face some of the darkest moments of their lives. Laurel was also commended for her dedication to consistent improvement and development of Mercy’s inpatient palliative care team. Working together with her supervisor, Laurel helped develop documentation templates that greatly reduce the time staff spends on the computer, allowing increased time at the patient bedside. Prior to her current position, Foht was a staff nurse on Mercy’s orthopedic and surgical inpatient unit. 

Megan Litscher is a clinic nurse and a certified diabetes educator at Mercy Pediatric Clinic, where she has worked for four years. Litscher’s peers say she demonstrates extraordinary compassion and support to patients living with Type 1 Diabetes along with their families. That passion is demonstrated by providing 24/7 access to medical care for all of the clinic’s patients with Type 1 Diabetes. Megan says her goal is to help them achieve optimal health despite their journey with a chronic illness. Litscher was nominated for the 100 Great Nurses award by the mother of a young patient, who had recently been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Her mother described how Megan has been a lifeline for their family as they learned about and adapted to the new diagnosis. The mother wrote, “Megan was nothing short of a savior. I can’t imagine how we would have been able to get through everything without her. She taught us how to complete carb counts, complete blood sugar checks, give insulin, and how to deal with things like activities or birthday parties. Megan comforted us when we were upset … and answered our questions at 3 a.m.”   

Throughout the last 15 years, 59 Mercy nurses have been recognized with the 100 Great Nurses award.