I started as an infusion nurse towards the beginning of 2019. Previously I worked in two different locations with management that was, at times, less than wonderful. Coming here I had no idea that things could be so different with the proper support from my nurse leader. Amanda has shown me that. I've observed her passion for nursing and helping others while still being an efficient leader who supports her staff fully.
Our infusion center has grown exponentially in a very short period of time, and Amanda has been instrumental in that growth and success with her role as Assistant Nurse Manager. In my short time here, the policies that Amanda has put into place to create an effective workflow for the unit have been countless. Some examples of these changes are streamlining lab draws in collaboration with the MD office of Atlantic Medical Group to decrease wait times for patients, continuously educating providers on ways that they can communicate to infusion nurses properly in our EMR system to decrease erroneous calls, sending out "weekly recaps" to our staff to ensure that we are all on the same page with the ever-changing oncology world, among many other advances.
She has created guidelines for job expectations that were previously very ambiguous for every staff member in the infusion center, from medical health techs to unit secretaries to charge nurses to infusion nurses. These positions previously had little to no guidance. She has created ways to assign patients to nurses rather than the previous workflow of taking patients as they come, which was proven inefficient and unequal distribution of labor. She implemented and perfected the "team nursing" model on our unit and we are now working cohesively in teams and able to ensure that everyone is properly supported on our shift and able to take breaks, where in the past we often were unable to find time or support for lunches or breaks. These are only a few of the many things that Amanda has done to serve our patients and our staff.
Amanda has not only changed practices on our unit but every day she acts as a role model to myself and my peers. She puts in so much effort to ensure safe, quality care to our patients. She uses evidence-based practice to keep us up to date on all the new developments in oncology. If she sees a nurse or other staff member is struggling in their position, she takes time away from whatever she is doing, whenever it is needed, to spend time with that employee to ensure they are comfortable and competent to deliver the best care possible. She holds all of us to a very high standard and continues to ensure that that standard is always met. This is clear in our Press Ganey survey results, which have consistently been in the high 90's.
She is always available to us on the unit and is rarely in her office. She chooses to use her mobile computer so she can be on our unit and readily available to us in case we need anything, and never hesitates to jump in and help with anything we need, including direct patient care. She asks for our feedback in almost every decision that is made, knowing that it will impact us as well as our patients that we are caring for. She values our opinions and our minds and makes that very clear. She is constantly encouraging us to strive to better ourselves in the field of oncology nursing and giving us resources to advance our knowledge in the field and broaden our horizons. She always puts the needs of her staff before herself. If a staff member is struggling with personal issues or scheduling conflicts, she always finds a way to make it work. The value she places on work-life-balance is incredible and if every leader emphasized this as much as she did, I truly believe nursing burnout, in general, would be significantly decreased.
On a personal note, I want to say that Amanda has been endlessly supportive of me as a nurse, a wife, and a mother. She has always been there for any questions that I've had, and I've always felt comfortable going to her with difficult things to discuss, knowing that I will never be faced with judgment or pessimism. She has been a wonderful resource, someone to vent to on difficult shifts, and even a shoulder to cry on, while still maintaining complete professionalism and unbiased views. I am not always the most eloquent with my words, but I hope that I was able to convey what an amazing nurse, leader, and person that Amanda is. She is the unsung hero of our infusion unit and I know that if anyone deserves this award it is absolutely her.