Richard Avent, a nurse on the oncology unit at Baptist Memphis, received a Bedside Nurse Hero Award at the Sixth-Annual NightinGala event coordinated by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing. More than 200 people attended the event, held on May 6 at the Hilton Memphis.
As the Bedside Nurse Hero, Richard was recognized for the great compassion and respect he offers every patient, and for his willingness to go the extra mile for patients and other team members. Richard’s supervisor describes him as polite, a true team player and incredibly humble. An oncologist who works with Richard says he is an outstanding nurse and “as helpful as helpful can be, regardless of if it’s his patient or not.”
Before attaining his nursing degree, Richard spent more than 20 years as a product development engineer of biomedical devices for Bayer Healthcare. He earned his BSN at the University of Memphis Loewenberg College of Nursing in 2020. During nursing school, Richard worked at Baptist Memphis as an intern, assisting oncology and hospice patients. After graduation, he became an oncology nurse and has received a chemotherapy certification.
NightinGala is held each year during National Nurses Week. The Nurse Hero Awards recognize a Bedside Nurse Hero, a COVID-19 Community Nurse Hero, an Advanced Practice Nurse Hero and a Nurse Leader Hero.
