As we continue to observe Nurses Month, we are excited to include National Hospital Week in our celebrations. The 2025 National Hospital Week theme is #WeAreHealthCare. We are honored to recognize the essential care hospital staff provide to patients 24/7/365.
The Power of RQI Super Users
The RQI® Community includes hospitals from all 50 states and 32 countries. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be recognizing a special group of RQI® Super User nurses from fourteen hospital systems across the United States and Canada. These nurses are part of the 3,000,000+ healthcare professionals who are enrolled in our programs who manage the 12,000+ RQI® Simulation Stations currently in use.
Our network of Super Users are integral in the success of our programs within hospitals. These nurses act as RQI advocates and understand the importance of consistent, high-quality CPR. They are committed to ensuring every enrolled staff member is confident in CPR skills and serve as a resource for colleagues in need of assistance. In fact, the support of our RQI Super Users has enabled our total learner population to perform an average of more than 955 million compressions and 168 million ventilations in a one-year period!
Meet Our RQI Super Users
Nominated by colleagues and leaders, these ten RQI Super Users go above and beyond not only in their roles with our program, but are exceptional and dynamic nurses in their departments.
Join us next week to meet the next round of ten Super User nurses nominated for their outstanding skill, service, and leadership.
“I have nominated Dulce for recognition for her exceptional dedication to the RQI program since its implementation in July 2022. She has unwaveringly embraced the program and has dedicated countless hours to its support. Dulce actively engages in conversations with leadership and provides mentorship to teammates, ensuring that they execute their skills effectively. Her commitment extends beyond these responsibilities, as she consistently strives to enhance the program at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, our largest hospital in Wisconsin.”
- Nicole Hamdan, RQI Coordinator
Amy Garcia, MSN, NPD-BC
Senior Nurse Educator, Generalist
UT Health Multispecialty & Research Hospital
San Antonio, TX
“Amy Garcia fully embraces her role as a Super User for RQI by leading with enthusiasm, expertise, and a commitment to excellence. She consistently supports both new hires and existing staff in completing their BLS requirements, ensuring they feel confident and prepared. Amy’s approachable nature, deep knowledge, and constant encouragement make her an invaluable resource and motivator for the entire team.”
- Allison Ouzts, Director of Clinical Education and Nursing Professional Development
“Jasmine works with our new colleagues who are entering ancillary staff positions to unsure they are successful in completing their RQI courses during the orientation period. She is very flexible with her time and frequently sets up meetings one to one with colleagues who have struggled with understanding how to navigate the course materials or struggled with skills at the cart. She continually works to create positive experiences for our colleagues entering our workforce.”
-Maranda Rorrer, RQI Training Center Coordinator
Becca Wing, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CMSRN
Clinical Nurse Educator
Clearwater, FL
“Becca is an amazing asset to the RQI efficiency at Morton Plant Hospital. She is consistently encouraging team members to get their RQI assignments completed early and uses creative methods and funny posters to help gain the attention of the team. Becca also will do her best to manage the upkeep in equipment or help troubleshoot an RQI issue with the helpline alongside the team member. She goes above and beyond to communicate with leadership and ensure everyone has kept current with RQI. She is the hospital’s best RQI Cheerleader and mechanic! She deserves so much recognition for her passion to create a safer environment for our patients.”
-Megan Tartaglia, Nursing Professional Development Practitioner
“Deb McPherson has been an extraordinary leader and advocate for advancing resuscitation quality and patient safety across the MaineHealth system. Through her dedication and vision, Deb has championed the growth of the RQI program, taking it from two isolated pilot sites to full implementation across 13 MaineHealth hospitals spanning Maine and New Hampshire.
Deb's commitment goes far beyond simply rolling out a program; she has cultivated collaboration between clinical teams, broken down silos, and built a culture of accountability and continuous improvement around life-saving resuscitation skills. Her quick ability to provide support and guidance have empowered local champions at each site and created a sustainable framework for success.
As both a peer advocate and leader, Deb is known for her approachability, problem-solving mindset, and clinical knowledge. She consistently prioritizes patient outcomes and the professional growth of her colleagues, making her a trusted resource and a valued mentor for RQI throughout the organization. MaineHealth’s ability to standardize and elevate resuscitation readiness system-wide is a direct reflection of Deb’s relentless commitment and inspiring leadership.”
- Michael Nozdrovicky, Senior Director of Workforce Development and Academic Affairs and Cassandra Fairfield, Clinical Nurse Educator
Drew Bontrager, MSN, NPD-BC
NPD Specialist, Emergency Department
MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital
Puyallup, WA
“Drew has exemplified outstanding dedication and expertise as an NPD Specialist in the Good Samaritan Emergency Department. His exceptional contributions to the RQI program have significantly enhanced the department's clinical outcomes and patient care standards. Drew's unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and education has empowered his colleagues to achieve excellence in resuscitation practices. His innovative approach and meticulous attention to detail have fostered a culture of learning and excellence, making him an invaluable asset to the team.
As a Super User, Drew has demonstrated remarkable leadership, guiding his peers with compassion and proficiency, and ensuring the highest standards of care are consistently met. His achievements in the RQI program are a testament to his dedication to professional development and his passion for advancing healthcare quality.”
- Nate Bergstedt, RQI Program Administrator
Emily Topnick, BSN, RN-BC
Cardiac Nurse, URMC Heart Center
University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital
Rochester, NY
“With great enthusiasm, I nominate Emily Topnick for her incredible commitment to our RQI program as a Super User. Emily has been her unit’s Super User for almost two years and has consistently gone above and beyond in the role by creatively providing due date reminders in ways that work for her unit’s workflow, enlisting co-worker support to increase buy-in and making accountability a priority. Thanks to her dedication, what once felt like a heavy lift on her unit has now started to grow into a genuine part of the culture; compliance and commitment are becoming the norm, and so much of that success is because of the strong foundation Emily helped to build.
Because of her unwavering efforts, her unit now boasts one of the highest compliance rates in the entire hospital—a direct reflection of her hard work and determination. Additionally, Emily doesn’t just monitor compliance for these resuscitation skills; she is a BLS and ACLS instructor at our institution, strengthening our entire community through her enthusiasm and expertise. Emily has embraced this role with a level of passion, commitment, and care that has made a real and lasting difference. Her dedication to the success of the RQI program is evident and Emily serves as a model of excellence for her peers, students and all of our other RQI Super Users.”
- Amanda Welter, RQI and ACLS Coordinator
Zoelle Miller, BScN, ENP
Clinical Nurse Educator, Emergency Department
Colchester East Hants Health Centre
Truro, NS
“Zoe has always gone above and beyond in supporting the staff in the Emergency Department to maintain staff compliance in RQI. She makes additional effort to ensure the machine is always accessible and covers staff to go complete their requirements. She helps hold the department accountable to their advanced training with ALS and PALS.”
- Courtney Turner, Clinical Nurse Educator
“Kim goes out of her way to ensure all the staff in her area complete the RQI course. She was a recent winner of the Learner Compliance promotion, and when we dropped the prize off, staff remarked how deserved it is and how she does an excellent job supporting staff. She is also very responsive when email messages and reports are sent from Learning and Development and works with her consultant to ensure the accuracy of the reports. She even creates more opportunities for staff to have access to the cart by bringing a cart to the unit on weekends.”
- Starlene Lundrigan, Nursing Instructor II
“Beverly Stead is a frontline nurse at the Bonavista Peninsula Health Centre. She played an important role in implementing RQI at this facility and continues to be key to improving compliance in this area. Since there are no Learning and Development staff nearby, Beverly works fairly independently in her role as a Super User. Before the RQI Simulation Station arrives to the Centre, she prints the quarterly notice posters and alerts the staff. She then encourages the staff to complete their assignment in a timely manner and assists them with any questions.”
- Starlene Lundrigan, Nursing Instructor II
