A Cedar Crest College nursing student will receive a prestigious award at a special event in Bethlehem.

Brian Thatcher will receive the Nursing Excellence Award in Teamwork from St. Luke’s University Health Network during a ceremony May 9 at the Artsquest Center at SteelStacks, Bethlehem.

Thatcher, of Coplay, is a patient care assistant at St. Luke’s Anderson Campus.

He was nominated for the award by a registered nurse on his floor and was later notified that he had been selected as the winner by Darla Frack, St. Luke’s vice president of patient care services.

“Darla, who is a Cedar Crest graduate, called a number of us to the nurse’s station to make the announcement,” Thatcher said.

“To be recognized by my hospital is such an honor, and I have to thank the amazing team of nurses, PCAs, doctors and other professionals I work with who help me provide the best possible care to my patients.”

Thatcher made the decision to pursue a career in nursing after watching his father, a former steelworker, earn a nursing degree in 2004.

Thatcher also worked with a male nurse at Gracedale Nursing Home, who helped to guide his career, and reaffirmed his decision to apply to Cedar Crest College.

“The influence from these two people, combined with my desire to care for people, is what keeps me on my path to obtain my nursing degree,” Thatcher said.

“The Cedar Crest faculty and my clinical group have also been amazing and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”

Thatcher expects to graduate from Cedar Crest College in 2019 and continue to gain experience in his position at St. Luke’s.

Eventually, he would like to become a nurse practitioner in cardiology.

Thatcher is the father of two girls, and his fiancé is a registered nurse as well.

Thatcher is a graduate of Northampton High School.