We’ve all met at least one outstanding nurse whose courage, compassion, and commitment to the nursing profession stand out.

Each year, 100 Great Iowa Nurses are selected from a pool of hundreds of admirable candidates and honored by the state of Iowa, fellow nurses, and community leaders.

This year’s 100 Great Iowa Nurses will be honored on May 6, 2012 — the beginning of National Nurses Week — during a reception at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines. The University of Iowa College of Nursing is a major sponsor for the event.

The complete list of this year’s 100 Great Iowa Nurses, and additional details, can be found at www.greatnurses.org.

Created by the Iowa Nurses Association, the Iowa Nurses Foundation, the Iowa Hospital Association, and the UI College of Nursing to honor outstanding nurses from across the state, the annual program recognizes nursing professionals who have displayed the highest levels of professionalism and commitment to their patients.

Nurses selected for this honor represent many sectors of health care, including hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as school and office nurses. This is a statewide event that belongs to the people of Iowa, and is made possible through the generous support of the program’s sponsors.