Vanderbilt University Medical Center has announced two recipients of the Medical Assistant of the Year awards for 2022.
Kimberly Hanna received the award for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Outpatient Care and Shelby Pate received the honor for Vanderbilt Adult Ambulatory Clinics. They were chosen for demonstrating outstanding Credo behaviors, willingness to consistently exceed role expectations and dedication to patients, colleagues and the VUMC community.
They were recognized during 2022 Medical Assistants Recognition Week, held from Oct. 17-21.
Hanna is a medical assistant in the Vanderbilt Health Multispecialty Clinic in Jackson, Tennessee. She cares for mostly pediatric patients but also some adult patients and assists providers in specialties from cardiology to urology. Her job responsibilities include bringing patients to exam rooms, managing the flow of the clinic and administering vaccines.
“I love working for Vanderbilt,” said Hanna, who has been part of the clinic since 2020, and was previously a medical assistant in Florida. “I love the fact that it’s something different every day. One day it might be cardiology; the next day is diabetes. It keeps you on your toes.”
According to her nomination, Kimberly is “kind, professional and puts her patients and team members first. She takes ownership in her role and exceeds expectations daily by her service to the patients, team and providers. She is the first one to volunteer, no matter the circumstance.”
“Our clinics look forward to serving each child who crosses their threshold, and our medical assistants, such as Kimberly, are right there to help them get started or help them continue their journey,” said Kathie Krause, MSN, RN, NNP-BC, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer of Monroe Carell. “We could not do this work without their passion, dedication and commitment.”
Pate is a medical assistant at Vanderbilt Primary Care Brentwood. Her job responsibilities include documenting patients’ medical histories, getting them ready to see providers and scheduling for procedures.
“I love everything about my job,” said Pate, who started in the clinic in 1998 and commutes from Columbia, Tennessee. “I love the relationships with the patients that we build. We get to know their families. You get to see things throughout from the time they come in with the problem to the resolution of the problem.”
According to her nomination, Pate “takes it upon herself to provide exceptional support and service to her patients. She discerns quickly their individual needs and moves efficiently to provide key information, recommendations or direction.”
“It is my pleasure to celebrate and recognize you for your hard work, dedication to patient care and commitment to your teams,” said Michele Hasselblad, DNP, RN, NE-BC, vice president of Vanderbilt Adult Ambulatory Clinics.