Jaimee Holbrooks, RN, is a Spring 2026 Vanderbilt Health Credo Award recipient. (photo by Susan Urmy)
The patient was devastated. Following an amputation, she learned that her insurance company refused to cover the cost of doctor-recommended inpatient rehabilitation. All she had was a hand-me-down wheelchair and the durable medical equipment that her nurse, Jaimee Holbrooks, RN, arranged to arrive before she was discharged. Then an unforeseen issue came up, and the equipment had to be rerouted to home delivery.
“This understandably upset the patient further, and she became increasingly difficult to console,” wrote one of Holbrooks’ colleagues, who nominated her for the Credo Award. “Jaimee, however, approached the situation with remarkable kindness, patience and compassion. She spoke with the patient gently, validating her feelings while calmly addressing her concerns.
“Jaimee’s ability to de-escalate the situation, reassure the patient and provide emotional support transformed a potentially overwhelming discharge into one that left the patient feeling cared for and respected. By the end of the encounter, the patient was no longer upset and she was grateful.”
For the way she handled this situation and countless others like it in the 12-plus years she has worked at Vanderbilt Health, Holbrooks is a Spring 2026 Vanderbilt Health Credo Award recipient.
“Sometimes, I have to be the bad person who brings patients bad news. Well, actually I’m the good person who brings them bad news,” she said. “I’ve learned to be honest, validate that it’s not the outcome they wanted, and coordinate a discharge plan that’s safe and effective for them. I speak to patients the way I’d want to be spoken to because I could be that patient or a family member beside the bed.”
Holbrooks, an inpatient case manager for the Transition Management Office, was humbled to win an award based on the guiding principles of Vanderbilt Health.
“The Credo is one of the first things you learn about when you become an employee,” she said. “Over the years, I’ve learned to try to make every day a good day, knowing there are some parts of my job I can’t control.”
Born in Nashville and raised in the Vanderbilt area, Holbrooks received her associate and nursing degrees from Tennessee State University and now lives in South Nashville. A mother of two who helps care for her 91-year-old grandmother with dementia, she’s a pastor’s daughter who uses her faith to guide her long before she gets to campus.
“Every morning, I pray with my younger son before he leaves to catch the bus for school,” Holbrooks said. “I pray to the Lord to give me the right words to say to each and every person I come in contact with.”
View Jaimee Holbrooks Credo Award video.
If you are a VUMC employee, you can nominate a colleague for a Credo Award, C. Wright Pinson Leader Award, or Vanderbilt Health Team Award. Visit the Leadership Forum 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 cutoff 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.
