Fred Dunau, RN, a staff nurse in the cardiac surgery ICU at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY, has always been pulled toward the technical and mathematical pieces of nursing.

"I was drawn to the ICU pretty quickly because of the excitement and technical aspect," he said.

It's easy for Dunau to stay up-to-date on the latest technology because he precepts the ICU's new hires and teaches clinical to students at Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing, Manhattan.

Because of his strong ability to teach others, Dunau was honored with the Nurse of Distinction Nurse Preceptor Award following a citywide competition conducted by 1199 SEIU/League of Voluntary Hospitals & Homes. He received the award - only two of the 18 nominees were men - May 9 at a gala dinner held at the Hilton New York.

"Precepting, teaching and orienting is really what I love to do, so the award was like icing on the cake," Dunau said. He also received the Beatrice Renfield Circle of Excellence Award in 2007 for his work as a preceptor.

Detour to Nursing

Dunau, an education major at SUNY Cortland, graduated in 1985 during a poor employment period for educators. Because his sister was a nurse, Dunau decided to work construction full-time and enroll in nursing school. He took classes at Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY, a campus of the State University of New York.

While his original plan was to be a part-time nurse, he instantly took to the profession and now works full-time, finding time for construction work on the side. He began his nursing career in the ICU at Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY, and joined Beth Israel Medical Center in 1992.

As a nurse in the cardiac surgery ICU, Dunau monitors patients after cardiac surgery. The division of cardiac surgery offers state-of-the-art surgical techniques to treat the vast array of vascular conditions in the heart - from aortic aneurysms to bypass surgery to valve repair or replacement.

Dunau is currently working toward his master's degree in nursing at Lehman College, Bronx, NY. He hopes to continue working in the cardiac surgery ICU and would like to add more teaching to his résumé.

Precepting New Hires

Dunau participates in Beth Israel's formal preceptor program, guiding new hires or nurses changing specialties. After 15 years, he still enjoys orienting nurses into the ICU.

His role at Beth Israel is that of a football team's "quarterback, linebacker and coach always there to answer a question, offer advice or assist in anyway he can," said Cathy Sullivan, MSN, NP, RN, director of patient care services, who nominated Dunau for his most recent award.

Dunau's recommendation for new nurses is to not be swayed by the advice of other nurses. "Everyone is different so pursue the area you are interested in - you don't necessarily have to start in med/surg. Set your goals and work toward them," he said.

New Yorker at Heart

Born and raised in New York City, Dunau enjoys everything the city has to offer. The father of three children - 11- and 8-year-old sons and a 2-year-old daughter - he participates in a lot of activities with his family. Dunau also coaches 125 elementary school wrestlers weekly and rides motocross with his oldest son.

Emily Marchesani is a frequent contributor to ADVANCE.