June 26, 2014

Awards recognize commitment, dedication to service

Credo and Five Pillar Leader Award winners were announced Tuesday during the Summer 2014 Clinical Enterprise Leadership Assembly at Langford Auditorium.

Credo and Five Pillar Leader Award winners were announced Tuesday during the Summer 2014 Clinical Enterprise Leadership Assembly at Langford Auditorium.

Beverly Conner, MBA

Beverly Conner, MBA, executive director of business services in the Department of Medicine, received the Five Pillar Leader Award, which is given to “exceptional leaders who consistently model a balanced approach to leadership across the five pillars of excellence and the Credo.”

Conner’s nomination letters noted her commitment to providing high quality, efficient service, and to continually improving it through new tools and processes. A certified medical practice executive (CMPE), even as Conner attends law school, “she works long hours to ensure the mission is met,” wrote one nominator.

“She is a great teacher and ambassador for the organization because of her knowledge and her commitment to excellence,” wrote Derek Miller, MBA, MHA, chief of finance and administration for the department, who introduced her Tuesday.

Kathy Byington, MSN, APRN

At the same time, “she approaches people with care and compassion with the goal of making Vanderbilt better for its employees and its customers,” he wrote.

The Credo Award winners were Kathy Byington, MSN, APRN, case manager for Pediatric Orthopedics; Bryn Evans, faculty practice program operations manager for the School of Nursing; and Aimee Hoskins, R.N., BSN, research nurse specialist in the ICU Delirium and Cognitive Impairment Study Group.

Bryn Evans

They were selected for exemplifying the five Credo behaviors: serving others as their highest priority, respecting privacy and confidentiality; conducting themselves in a professional manner; and exhibiting a sense of ownership as well as commitment to their colleagues.

Byington was praised in her nomination letters for her highly effective communication skills, for being “a great resource and encourager” to her co-workers, and for going “above and beyond” and keeping a calm, reassuring demeanor even under the most difficult circumstances.

“She is a hero and warrior for her patients,” one colleague wrote.

Aimee Hoskins, R.N., BSN

Evans, who has a Master of Management in Health Care degree from the Owen Graduate School of Management, “is called upon to solve any and all problems, seven days a week,” Bonnie Pilon, Ph.D., and Terri Crutcher, DNP, wrote in their nomination letter.

That included spending extra hours and effort to make sure a broken water pipe at their office during last winter’s freeze was fixed promptly and properly, they wrote.

Hoskins often takes time out of her schedule to meet the needs of her colleagues and patients in the studies.  “Several times daily she asks how she can help each of us get our work done,” one nominator wrote.

She brings “this incredible edifice of life to others throughout the day, each and every day,” said E. Wesley Ely, M.D., MPH, one of the study group’s principal investigators.

For a list of previous Credo and Five Pillar Leader award winners, click here.