By Staff Reports
(Honolulu) – The Queen’s Medical Center (Queen’s) has announced that Lindell Saelua, RN, has been named 2016 Employee of the Year.
He is the night shift charge nurse in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (NSICU) and has been a Queen’s employee for 22 years.
Saelua was recognized for his many contributions to the NSICU department. His excellent work on pressure ulcer reduction is just one example of his outstanding efforts. The NSICU has been “zero” with pressure ulcers for 10 years and his leadership and dedication greatly advanced this achievement.
“Lindell is the epitome of the type of nurse and person that we aspire to be,” said his manager, Kawehi Kauhola, RN. “He takes on the toughest of roles, and works diligently and compassionately for our patients and their loved ones. He is a pillar of his Samoan community and the Queen’s Neuro ohana.”
The Queen’s Employee of the Year is chosen from 12 Employees of the Month who represent a staff of over 4,700.
Saelua was awarded a personally engraved koa box, free reserved parking for a year and a choice of a $2,000 award check or travel voucher. His name will be engraved on a perpetual plaque. He also received $2,000 from a fund established by Art Ushijima, President of The Queen’s Medical Center, in honor of his parents, James and Kay Ushijima.
A native of American Samoa, Saelua earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the University of Hawaii and received his nursing degree at Hawaii Pacific University. He first joined Queen’s as a psych assistant and was a founding staff member of the Family Treatment Center. He and his wife, Wendy, reside in Nuuanu and have two children, Kaitlyn, 14, and William, 10. In his spare time, he enjoys exercise, music, cars, diving and fishing.
