Julie Archibald is the 2025 Essence of Nursing Award recipient.

Seeking “profound human connection” in her profession, Julie Archibald, MSN, AGNP, left her work as a chiropractor and enrolled in a nursing program a decade ago. An experience during her first clinical rotation affirmed her decision and made clear that nursing was her calling.

“I noticed a sign on a patient’s door that indicated she was on comfort measures and likely to die soon,” Archibald recalled. “The patient was not conscious, but it broke my heart that she was alone. I asked my instructor if I could sit with her for a few moments.”

Archibald held the patient’s hand, said her name and spoke to her softly for a few minutes. “In that moment, I knew this profound human connection was what I had been missing, and I felt an immense sense of relief in my decision to become a nurse,” Archibald said.

Archibald has never again questioned her career choice. She has spent the years since graduating forming meaningful bonds with patients, advancing her knowledge and professional practice, and supporting her colleagues. For these reasons, she was named this year’s Gitta and Saul Kurlat Essence of Nursing Award recipient, the highest honored bestowed upon clinical nurses at the Brigham.

Passion for geriatric care

From left, Taylor Travaglini, Alex Machajewski, Julie Archibald and Victoria Contaxis

Archibald joined BWH eight years ago as a nurse on Braunwald Tower 12CD, Orthopaedics. She quickly discovered her passion for caring for the geriatric population by working with the Geriatrics team, including Houman Javedan, MD, director of Inpatient Geriatric Medicine.

“Instead of seeing a patient as having a problem to fix, Dr. Javedan and his team really care about what’s important to their patients,” said Archibald.

Archibald had this in mind when one of her patients was having a hard day and feeling helpless because of his physical limitations. He told her he was frustrated that he couldn’t do his own grocery shopping and pick out foods he liked. She asked what he missed the most.

“I picked up his favorite M&Ms and Cheez-Its from the store and left them on his bedside table before he woke the next morning,” she said. “He was so happy to see these simple treats. I know they weren’t ideal, but I thought about how sometimes geriatricians determine that the thing we as medical professionals would recommend is not always aligned with what the patient values.”

Seeking to specialize in geriatric care, Archibald enrolled in graduate school and obtained her master’s degree and licensure as a gerontological nurse practitioner in 2022.

She now serves as a geriatric nurse champion for the Department of Nursing, leading quality improvement and education for her peers. She is also a member of the hospital-wide Geriatric Surgery Quality Committee and the interdisciplinary Geriatrics Care Improvement Committee.

Through the latter, she collaborated with the unit-based practice council and Volunteer Services to organize a pilot program where volunteers visit with older adult patients to improve their experience and decrease their risk of delirium and feelings of loneliness.

“Julie has collaborated with unit leadership, her unit-based practice council and interprofessional colleagues to drive improvement by increasing staff geriatric nursing knowledge and improving relationship-based patient care,” said Amy Bulger, MPH, RN, GERO-BC, CPHQ, director of Geriatrics Operations. “Julie goes above and beyond to continuously improve the clinical nursing care and experience of older adults and their families, educate and precept a new generation of nurses, and represent the voice of the clinical nurse on hospital-wide interdisciplinary committees and beyond.”

Transformational leadership

Alex Machajewski, MSN, RN, CNL, first met Archibald when he was a staff nurse on the unit.

“Early on in Julie’s career, I recognized her innate talent for nursing,” said Machajewski, who is now the unit’s nursing director. “Julie’s compassion and devotion to her patients were evident from the moment she stepped onto the unit. As a nurse-in-charge, Julie is a role model who empowers her fellow nurses, patient care associates and unit coordinators to be their best selves.”

Archibald is always focused on supporting her colleagues and problem-solving as she strives to improve patient care.

“I have witnessed Julie’s transformational leadership skills when she is mentoring new nurses, providing exceptional patient care, collaborating amongst the team and advocating for the patients on the unit,” said Karen Ulmer, MSN, RN, RNC-OB, NPD-BC, professional development manager.

Ulmer shared an example of when Archibald identified an issue concerning code status orders for Orthopaedic patients. She gathered pre-data to demonstrate the opportunity for improvement, proposed a quality improvement project for the nursing practice council and led the efforts to address the gap.

“This project has provided clinical nurses with the knowledge, expertise and confidence to advocate for the code status order when needed,” Ulmer said. “Julie has the unique ability to look at the big picture, decipher what is best for the patient and act on it. She is highly regarded among the interprofessional team.”

‘I try to be the nurse I would want to care for me’

As Archibald continues expanding her knowledge and taking on new projects and challenges, her goal remains simple:

Nominated by Alex Machajewski, MSN, RN, CNL, nursing director, with letters of support from Karen W. Ulmer, MSN, RN, RNC-OB, NPD-BC, professional development manager, and Amy Bulger, MPH, RN, GERO-BC, CPHQ, director of Geriatrics Operations