Tandra Parks is the epitome of a leader. She is highly respected and often sought for her guidance and extensive knowledge base. In fact, one of the most commonly used phrases in PICU is "ask Tandra". Since she became manager of the PICU, she has single-handedly shone a light on the unit and all the amazing work that is done. Under her leadership, PICU has been recognized as a unit of distinction (honorable mention), and PICU has the highest staff satisfaction scores within the hospital. She recently held a presentation on the success that she has had leading the unit. During that presentation, Tandra mentioned there is no " secret sauce ".

However, we feel like the " secret sauce" is Tandra.

Tandra wears so many hats besides manager that it's honestly hard to keep track of them all. Some of the things that she has initiated are Physician/ family care conferences, monthly physician-led education classes, reinstated PICU M&Ms, and, on top of all of that, she recently received her master's in education. These are just a few of the amazing things that she has done.

The overall success of a unit starts at the top. And at the top, Tandra is a Nurse, a leader, and a person that others strive to emulate. Tandra is passionate, smart, kind, fair, and not afraid to get down in the trenches with those that she leads. The PICU staff know that Tandra has their back, and that creates an environment where they thrive. We are lucky to have her.