Sixteen years ago, Shametric Nixon was planning her own funeral. She’d been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and her prognosis wasn’t good. At the same time, her mother, with whom she lived, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sometimes Nixon and her mother sat side by side during chemotherapy treatments.
NIxon’s funeral plans didn’t come to fruition: After six rounds of chemotherapy, her cancer was cured, fueling the positive attitude that earned her a Vanderbilt University Medical Center Credo award at the May VUMC Leadership Assembly.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it,” she said. “Every day is a good day and a blessing.”
Originally a medical assistant, Nixon went into health care because her main goal was to be of service to others.
“I didn’t even know how much it paid at the time,” she said. “I just knew I wanted to help people.”
As the lead patient service specialist in Neurology at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks for the past four years, Nixon, affectionately known as “Mechee,” is the face of the patient experience before and after appointments. She explains costs and insurance coverage, schedules future appointments and confidently answers any questions.
“I love interacting with people, and it excites me to see them coming in feeling one way and leaving feeling another,” said Nixon, who moved from West Tennessee to Nashville with her grandmother and son shortly after her mother passed away. “Sometimes I can see walking miracles.”
Patients and co-workers are inspired by the level of care she provides.
“If you speak to anyone who knows her, and many do, they could tell you countless stories about how she dropped everything to help with a policy or process question or showed leadership by going above and beyond for her coworkers and patients,” one nominator wrote. “Of course, she is razor sharp when following patient safety and confidentiality protocols, which is a great service to our patients, but she excels in customer service, too.
“No matter how many inquiries, she never wavers in her professionalism and kindness, treating each patient with the care and attention they deserve — even patients who approach the Neurology desk looking for another department. Once, I witnessed a patient mention that he wished he had some coffee as his appointment was early in the morning. Without missing a beat, “Mechee” offered to grab him a cup of coffee from our clinic. Pausing and taking the time to offer help just comes second nature to her.”
Nixon shares her expertise with 10 other neurology departments, filling in for others when coverage is needed.
“Mechee is a natural leader, role model and resource for all staff across our 10 off-site neurology clinics,” a nominator wrote. “Mechee travels from one clinic to another in show of her support and clerical experience. She adjusts her day around what the clinics need.
“She is familiar with the idiosyncrasies of each clinic, can easily adapt to each clinic’s flow and is a welcome sight for all providers, staff and patients. She elevates and takes care of any concerns the clinics may have and takes full ownership of each of the clinics from training new staff, to ordering clinic supplies, to bringing the staff sweet treats on a challenging day.”
In her off hours, Nixon spends time with her 21-year-old son, Jabarius, babysits for extended family, watches NBA basketball, especially Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors, and travels every chance she gets.
“I want to see the world,” she said. “I almost didn’t have this opportunity. It was almost taken from me. I just can’t see being down and not enjoying the life I almost didn’t have.”
View Shametric Nixon’s video from Leadership Assembly.
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 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.
