BENTON TOWNSHIP — Lake Michigan College’s nursing program has selected Dana Delmuro of Niles as its annual Spirit of Nursing award recipient from among 56 registered nursing graduates in the Class of 2017.

LMC’s Nursing Program Director Kathleen Szymanski said Dana’s dedication to the field helped her to earn the award.

“Dana was chosen for the award based on her exemplary performance in class and clinical, as well as her positive, professional, and caring attitude,” Szymanski said. “She has demonstrated excellent clinical reasoning skills in clinical and simulation as well as leadership in her support of her peers. Instructors have been impressed by her confidence in her nursing knowledge and how she readily shares it with students, patients and families alike.”

Delmuro currently works on the medical-surgical floor at Lakeland Health in Niles. She plans to begin her bachelor of science in nursing in the fall at either Spring Arbor University or online at American Sentinel University.

After high school, Delmuro earned an associate in general studies from Lake Michigan College. She worked at an assisted living facility for four years, and decided to apply to the nursing program with encouragement from the residents at the facility, as well as from her grandmother, a retired nurse living in California.

“My grandma always tells me, ‘I knew you’d be a nurse before you did,’” Delmuro said.

The Spirit of Nursing is awarded by LMC nursing faculty and is a high honor for graduates. Criteria for the award include accountability and responsibility, being a role model, providing safe and client-centered care, and demonstration of the highest levels of competency in the practice and art of nursing. Dana was honored at an honors convocation ceremony hosted at The Mendel Center in April.

Lake Michigan College’s nursing program has been accredited since 1981 by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Nursing graduates have surpassed national licensure pass rates averages for ten consecutive years, and 100 percent of program graduates seeking full-time jobs in their field have been employed. For more information visit lakemichigancollege.edu/nursing.