A Tasmanian nurse dedicated to bolstering Aboriginal childhood immunisation rates is one of five nurses recognised in the national 2010 Best Practice Nurse Awards.

The Australian Practice Nurses Association (APNA) awards recognised nurses across four states for their outstanding contribution to best practice and enhancing patient health in the primary care setting.

Wynyard Medical Centre nurse Sally Cotterell received the immunisation award for her work contributing to a 98.6 percent success rate in local childhood immunisations.

"It has been said that if anyone stands still long enough, I’ll vaccinate them," Ms Cotterell said, in accepting her award.

Toowoomba nurse Allison Love, from the Iona Medical Centre, received an award for chronic disease management for her work in improving chronic care.

Ballarat nurse and arthritis sufferer Jessica Danko, from Medicaid Medical Centre, received two awards for developing a small scale chronic disease management initiative for musculoskeletal health with her GP colleague.

"This has been a privilege for me as I myself suffer a rare form of arthritis and am a recent recipient of a total hip replacement at age 40," Ms Danko said.

"This personal struggle has given me insight (and) a great deal of empathy for people who have arthritis to deal with on a daily basis."

Mildura nurse Sandra Connor, from Tristar Medical Group, was awarded an innovation accolade for developing a training tool specifically targeted to international medical graduates while Central Coast nurse Kate Royds, of Camden Haven Medical Centre, was recognised for her work in continence care.

The awards formed part of the 2011 APNA national conference ‘Roadmap for the Future’. Each winner received $5000 towards their professional development.