The most recent Credo Award, Five Pillar Leader, and Elevate Team Award winners were announced at this week’s Clinical Enterprise Leadership Assembly at Langford Auditorium. The awards are conferred on a quarterly basis.
Jim Hayman, MBA, M.S., chief pharmacy officer for the Department of Pharmaceutical Services, received the Five Pillar Leader Award, given for leadership in service, quality, employee engagement, growth and finance and innovation.
Hayman’s award nomination read, “Jim has a management style that facilities growth and development of people. His focus on program growth, which adds value to the institution and the patients we serve, has provided many opportunities in the pharmacy. Jim has high expectations and a sense of urgency that becomes very evident when working with him. Coupled with this is constant support to make certain that the resources and tools are available to be successful. Jim is results oriented but provides his managers the latitude to define the method to achieve the desired results. Bottom line, he is an excellent developer of people by coaching them to success.”
The Credo Award honors staff and faculty who exemplify the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Credo. The latest Credo Award winners are Linda Bell, patient care technician for University Pediatrics at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks; Gary Brown, environmental technician, Light Hall; and Pat Throop, R.N., senior quality and patient safety advisor, Department of Performance Management and Improvement, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Bell’s nomination letter read, “Linda is respected and loved by patients, families and those who work with her. She welcomes our pediatric patients and their families to our office in a genuinely warm manner and right from the start of the visit tries to help children feel comforted. In our patient satisfaction comments, Linda is singled out with amazing frequency as an excellent staff member (more than the rest of our staff combined). It is clear that Linda is an extremely important part of the caring environment at University Pediatrics.”
Brown’s nomination read, “It is not just that Gary Brown does a great job that makes him special to all of those who work with him. It is the manner in which goes about encouraging others. He is the epitome of the ‘high bar’ example employee who makes everyone he encounters feel special and important. He is known for having a servant’s heart like none other has ever seen. He is selfless, always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that we have what we need and that Light Hall is a place where visitors feel welcome.”
Throop’s nomination read, “From training young trainees in primary care to her work in Performance Management and Improvement, Pat is an exemplary advocate for our patients and families. She has mentored countless leaders, physicians, nurses, and other team members. She works tirelessly to identify opportunities to improve and develop meaningful action plans to enhance the care we provide. Those that have had the fortunate opportunity to work with Pat all agree she is a gem; we are all better for knowing her and most of all, our patients are safe because of her efforts and commitment to delivering the highest quality and safest care possible.”
The Elevate Team Award recognizes efforts by two or more people to improve a process, solve a problem or advance organizational culture. The award went to the Code Yellow Team, a multidisciplinary group made up of representatives from the divisions of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Children’s Hospital.
The Code Yellow Team was created to ensure that febrile neutropenia patients (those having a fever and an abnormally low white blood cell count) receive antibiotics within sixty minutes of their arrival to either the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic or the Children’s Hospital Emergency Room. Oncology patients with febrile neutropenia are especially vulnerable, and it is vital that they receive antibiotics as quickly as possible. The Code Yellow Team analyzed current processes and identified barriers to these patients receiving antibiotics. They developed a communication and standardized treatment plan to ensure rapid delivery of medication. As a result of their efforts, there has been a significant increase in the administration of antibiotics to these patients within one hour of their arrival. The team leaders are Howard Katzenstein, M.D.; Leslie Burton, D.O.; Corrie Berry, R.N.; Caroline Epps, R.N., ; and Janet Fuller, R.N.
