When Vicki Caldwell, RN, learned she had won a Patient and Family Choice Award, she was shocked.
“What I do — I don’t do for any recognition,” said Caldwell, who has worked in the emergency department at Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital for the past 18 years. “I do it because I love it.”
Caldwell, 59, started out as a business major in college, but “hated it.” So she switched to nursing, earning her RN in 2005.
“It was a calling,” she said. “All I ever wanted to do was work in the emergency department.”
Caldwell said she likes the fast pace of the emergency department, the variety of cases that come through the door, and above all, the ability to help people — patients and family members — when they may be at their lowest, most vulnerable point.
“Even when you have to give them very bad news, a lot of times, it’s being there,” she said. “Maybe it’s holding their hand, asking what can I do?”
Caldwell is one of seven employees chosen this year to receive a Patient and Family Choice Award.
Nominations are submitted by patients and families. The award honors employees from across Vanderbilt Health who act with compassion and excellence to provide an exceptional experience for patients and their families. This year, five of Vanderbilt’s patient and family advisory councils bestowed awards to seven individuals from Vanderbilt University Hospital, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital, Vanderbilt Adult Ambulatory Clinics, Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital and Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital.
As a patient who nominated Caldwell for the award put it, “she didn’t act like she was in a hurry to do other tasks. She listened to my concerns … For someone coming in with severe pain, Vicki C is the nurse to have!”
“Vicki is fantastic,” said Kathy Watts, MSN, RN, director of Emergency Services. “She always puts her patients first.”
Added Marilyn Smith, DNP, MSN, RN, the hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer, Caldwell “is an exceptional nurse in the emergency department whose dedication, clinical expertise and calm presence make a lasting impact on both patients and her team.”
“She consistently goes above and beyond to ensure safe, timely and compassionate care in even the most challenging situations,” Smith said. “Vicki’s ability to prioritize in high-stress moments, support her colleagues and advocate fiercely for her patients sets her apart as a trusted leader and invaluable asset to the ED. Her commitment to excellence reflects the very best of nursing.”
Caldwell and her husband of 38 years have a son, and now, a 3-year-old grandson, who is a delight of her life. She works weekends so that she can care for him during the week. And while she is honored by the recognition, she is quick to give credit to her team.
“I work with such a wonderful crew,” she said. “Everybody will pitch in to help. There is no ‘I’ in team.”
