Jane Crone: Mentor, Teacher, Leader, Caregiver—And Now, Award Winner

January 3, 2018

Jane Crone, BSN, RN, is never afraid to advocate for her colleagues and her patients. In her quiet way, she will speak up when she believes someone is being treated unfairly. A natural teacher, Crone is her unit’s CPR instructor, its electronic medical record (EMR) expert, and an exceptional clinician who models top-quality nursing care. For these reasons and many more, Crone, the clinical coordinator for McLean’s Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Program, was recently awarded the Marguerite Conrad Award for Teaching and Mentoring at McLean’s fall nursing conference.

“Jane teaches in real time and often by example—whether it’s wound care or how to calm an agitated patient—and she is the nurse you want to have in your corner,” said Anne Huntington, MSN, RN-BC, nursing director for the Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Program, part of McLean’s Geriatric Psychiatry Inpatient Services. “People have confidence in her—she follows up, she takes care of things.” And no request is too small for Crone when it comes to her patients. She is the nurse who will go looking for a lost object or ensure that a patient’s wish for a special food is fulfilled.

Jane Crone with her Conrad Award

Linda M. Flaherty, Marguerite Conrad Award recipient Jane E. Crone, and Anne Huntington

Crone is also adept at defusing tense situations, according to Huntington, who recalled the time an elderly patient with dementia was giving her husband a hard time. Crone took him out for ice cream to give both spouses a breather. For patients nearing the end of their lives, Crone creates a soothing space for them and their families. “She’ll get the aromatherapy diffuser going, put on music, and make sure they have skin cream and mouth care products so they’re as physically comfortable as possible,” explained Huntington. “And for the families, she’s a good listener and very comforting.”

Crone also models the importance of continually upgrading one’s skills and will graduate in the spring with a master’s degree in nursing through Framingham State University’s Leadership and Management program. “I hope she someday has a program of her own, but in the meantime, she is my right-hand woman, my eyes and ears when I’m not around, and she makes my job a lot easier,” said Huntington.

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