Mary Owens Named Piedmont Cartersville’s 2026 Nurse of the Year
Cartersville, Ga. — Piedmont Cartersville has named Mary Owens, RN, as its 2026 Nurse of the Year, recognizing her exceptional leadership, compassion and commitment to patient care.
Owens, a full-time charge nurse on 3 North, joined Piedmont Cartersville in July 2024 as a nurse resident after previously serving as an LPN at a local skilled nursing facility. She was first selected for the honor by her peers and coworkers on 3 North before advancing to hospital-level consideration by the Board of Directors and Executive Team.
Colleagues consistently highlight Owens’ ability to build meaningful connections with patients and support her team. One peer noted she “dives so deep into her patients’ background to really understand their situations” and “shines on 3 North,” while another described her as “the light in her patients’ darkest days,” providing both compassion and guidance to patients and families.
Owens has also earned recognition for stepping into her charge nurse role with confidence and dedication. “Mary is always advocating for her patients … and is absolutely awesome as a charge nurse,” a coworker wrote.
Based on overwhelmingly positive feedback and heartfelt nominations from her colleagues, Owens was selected as Piedmont Cartersville’s 2026 Nurse of the Year. She exemplifies the organization’s commitment to excellence, leadership and compassionate care.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Michael, their dogs — Mya, Millie, Macy and Maverick — and their cat, Marlee, as well as camping and boating with her family.
About Piedmont
Piedmont is empowering Georgians by changing health care. We continue to fuel Georgia’s growth through safe, cost-effective, high-quality care close to home through an integrated health care system that provides a hassle-free, unified experience. We are a private, not-for-profit organization that for centuries has sought to make a positive difference in every life we touch in the communities we serve. Across our 2,000 physical locations we care for more than 4.5 million patients and serve communities that comprise 85 percent of Georgia’s population. This includes 27 hospitals, 115 immediate care locations, 1,875 Piedmont Clinic physician practices and more than 3,900 Piedmont Clinic members. Our patients conveniently engage with Piedmont online, as they scheduled more than 657,000 online appointments and over 239,000 virtual visits. With nearly 50,000 care givers we are the largest Georgia-based private employer of Georgians, who all came for the job, but stayed for the people. In 2024 and 2023, Piedmont has earned recognition from Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and also as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women. In 2022, Forbes ranked Piedmont on its list of the Best Large Employers in the United States. Piedmont provided more than $844 million in community impact in Fiscal Year 2024.
For more information, or to book your next appointment, visit piedmont.org.
