June 2024 VUH Healthcare Heroes
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Nurse of the Quarter: Karen Volkmar, RN – 7 North - From Karen’s nomination: Transitions are always challenging, especially when we have team members leave 7 North for various reasons. Karen is our resident party planner and goes above and beyond to ensure our team members are celebrated. For example, one of our team members recently retired after being at VUMC for over 20 years, with much of her time being with this team. Karen planned an elaborate retirement party for this team member. She planned a Hawaiian luau and drew the participation and attendance from many employees, even some outside of our department. She coordinated the menu, decorations, and put together a slideshow celebrating her career! Karen even coordinated with this team member's husband to ensure he could come and celebrate with us! The entire 7 North team had a wonderful time celebrating, and this greatly enhanced our team's morale. Karen is consistently at the forefront of incorporating ways we can celebrate or boost morale to help ease discomforts during every transition/change within the department. Karen has been a facilitator in Targeted Teaching for various Nurse Residency cohorts. Not only have her clinical skills been invaluable to the Nurse Residents, but she has also given them great insight on her experiences throughout her nursing career. Specifically, within the last year, Karen reviewed her career path through the present with our new Nurse Residents and gave this group profound advice. She encouraged the Nurse Residents to develop relationships based on positive experiences within the unit and VUMC and to avoid negativity as they transitioned from their orientation to professional practice. Karen consistently radiates positivity and a smile towards all people with whom she works! By sharing our unit's culture while empathetically acknowledging the challenges that can come with beginning a new career, Karen was able to make an impact on our group of Nurse Residents
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Nurse of the Quarter: Alex Marzano, RN – C-pod - From Alex’s nomination: On 4/6, an autistic patient with violent behavioral tendencies presented to the Emergency Department. This patient requires a CSO at all times due to his aggression. Despite the challenges and risk that this patient presents, Alex Marzano visited this patient while still in the ED and assisted with his patient care by feeding him breakfast and providing him hygiene care. This patient does better with consistent caregivers, and Alex previously cared for this patient and knew that her involvement could potentially be a positive interaction for him. Not only did Alex visit this patient while he was not on her home unit to assist with his care. When this patient was assigned to a C Pod room, she also personally transported the patient from the ED to the C Pod and settled the patient in his new room by ensuring he was as comfortable as possible while in poly restraints and turning on the TV to a channel that he enjoyed watching. Alex was not the nurse assigned to this patient. She exhibited teamwork and commitment to this patient in delivering the best possible care. Alex didn't have to engage this patient at all, but because of the previous relationship that she built with him and her knowledge that he does well with familiar caregivers, she committed to providing this patient excellent care despite that he was a risk to her physical well being. This patient has injured many staff members during his hospitalizations here, but despite that risk, Alex chose to prioritize the patient and her team which in my opinion, is an incredible example of Credo.
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Ancillary Staff Member of the Quarter: Sharee Moore, Environmental Services - From Hayden’s nomination: Sharee goes above and beyond every single day! So many patients have told me they look forward to when she is working because the conversations they have with her while she's working make their day and hospital stay better. Sharee pours her heart and her work ethic into every single patient interaction. Her tasks as an EVS staff member are completed efficiently and extremely thoroughly, although they tend to fade into the background as her obvious compassion for those she serves outshines all else. One small example would be when we had a male patient admitted to our unit, clearly feeling unwell and very emotionally guarded with staff. His interactions were often cut short due to his flat affect and gruff exchanges with staff. After a few days of being cared for by Sharee, he cracked a smile for the first time. It was clear he was finally feeling trust with staff and able to let his guard down because of Sharee's compassionate care during her morning EVS rounds. It was clear she made him feel seen and safe, and he was able to open up with staff about his medical concerns and stressors and establish much more open and therapeutic communication because of these interactions. The other day, Sharee brought in a whole bag of different silver rings, and went around to each staff member to have them pick one to keep. It was a small, but extremely thoughtful gesture that made the day more bright and more fun. Everyone was smiling for the rest of the shift. She completely uplifts the environment of our unit the days she is here and deserves to be recognized as a shining example of the Vanderbilt Credo.
VUH Healthcare Hero Past Recipients
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