Caddell recognized for dedication with NC nursing award

Lindsay Caddell’s dedication to nursing and compassion for others led to her being recognized as one of the 2023 North Carolina Great 100 Nurses.  

The NC Great 100 Nurses is an organization that recognizes nurses in North Carolina who were nominated by their peers for exhibiting qualities such as compassion, leadership, and overall commitment to the nursing profession.  

Caddell graduated as a Brinkley-Lane Scholar in 2015 with her Bachelor’s degree in nursing. After graduation, she joined the staff at ECU Health in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) where she has been for 8 years. She now works as charge nurse, floating nurse, clinical coach, and bereavement committee chair in this department.  

“Through my eight years, I have taken on more responsibilities in the unit to expand my knowledge base and contribute to the NICU as a whole,” Caddell said. 

Throughout her time as a Brinkley-Lane Scholar, she began to better understand what she was capable of both academically and otherwise. She emphasized the importance of specialized seminars, classes, trips, research, and service offered by the program. These allowed Caddell to immerse herself in the ECU experience as well as the nursing program.  

“During my time as a scholar, I was encouraged to develop the ability to multitask — not only in a task-based way with class work, service projects, studying, etc. — but also to multitask all of those things with family, friends, religious, social, etc., activities to keep a successful school/work/social life balance,” Caddell said.  

 Caddell advises all future nurses and students to be curious.  

“Ask all the questions,” Caddell said. “Even eight years into my nursing career in the Neonatal ICU, I am still always asking questions to learn, to ensure safe care and to be able to teach others.”  

NC Great 100 Nurses emphasizes the importance of service to the community which is also a pillar of the Brinkley-Lane Scholars program. In her career, Caddell attributes her outside of the box thinking and commitment to service — needed for many aspects of nursing — to the encouragement of the Brinkley-Lane Scholars program.   

“The NC Great 100 Nurses recognition is an extraordinary honor and encourages me to continue to be the best nurse that I can be for the patients and families that I care for, striving to continually improve the care that I provide,” Caddell said.  

Both Brinkley-Lane Scholars program and NC Great 100 Nurses highlight qualities that Lindsay Caddell represents every day. She is a dedicated Pirate nurse and alumna in the Honors College. Her dedication to ECU Health is a representation of everything NC Great 100 Nurses look for in their candidates.