Photo by Susan Urmy
Molly Knostman, PharmD, MHA, describes herself as the pharmacist behind the pharmacists in frontline positions in Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital.
“I take care of the people and processes that take care of patients who are in a bed in the adult hospital,” she said, “supporting them, helping them have the tools and resources that they need to take care of patients and then helping resolve any issues that may come up day to day that would not allow that process to run smoothly.”
Knostman, director of pharmacy operations for Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital, is being modest. With more than 17 years of leadership, mentorship and project management experience at Vanderbilt, she has built a reputation for volunteering for complex tasks, not because they are part of her job description but because of her passion for innovation and patient care. And that is why she is the latest recipient of the Five Pillar Leader Award, presented at the Feb. 19 Leadership Assembly.
Knostman embodies the Credo and the Five Pillars — people, service, quality, innovation, growth and finance — that support Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s service and operational excellence.
Her team members rave about her.
“Molly has developed a reputation for being a mentor to many pharmacy staff, some who have stayed in the adult hospital pharmacy and many others who have moved to other areas of the department in leadership roles thanks to Molly’s mentorship,” one wrote in Knostman’s award nomination.
Another noted that Knostman coordinated the implementation of the Omnicell XT dispensing cabinet, a yearlong project that replaced nearly 190 different cabinet locations across the VUMC enterprise. Knostman gives the credit right back to her team.
“I was very fortunate to work with a very excellent group of team members, anyone from nursing education, nursing informatics, Health IT, to space and facilities and facilities management, in addition to the pharmacy team members, to help the end users have a very seamless experience in changing from one cabinet system to another,” she said.
Knostman has also been the pharmacy lead for the expansion of inpatient units into the sixth and seventh floors of Medical Center East.
It’s no surprise that Knostman is a previous winner of the Credo Award. Her passion for building a better pharmacy is rooted in a passion for patient care.
“The thing that most attracted me to Vanderbilt when I first came to the organization were two things: the innovation and the leadership within the pharmacy,” she said. “I have not been disappointed by either of those. Vanderbilt continues to look at how we can better take care of patients and that includes pharmacists and pharmacy technicians within that equation. We have been able to advance the profession of pharmacy and further take better care of patients with the combination of both of those things. I continue to be very fortunate to work with the caliber of leaders that we have not only here in the pharmacy, but across the Medical Center, so that I can continue to learn and push myself to be a better leader with my interactions with them on a daily/weekly basis.”
If you are a VUMC employee, you can nominate a colleague for an Elevate Credo Award, Five Pillar Leader Award, or Team Award. Visit the Elevate website to fill out a nomination form. Employees demonstrate credo behaviors when: they make those they serve the highest priority; respect privacy and confidentiality; communicate effectively; conduct themselves professionally; have a sense of ownership; and are committed to their colleagues. Elevate award nominations are accepted year-round. If a nomination is received after the cut off for an award selection period, the nomination will be considered for the next period. VUMC Voice will post stories on each of the award winners in the weeks following their announcement.
