Vicki Audrain, MSN, RN, CPHRM, CPPS, is our Director of Risk Management and Patient Safety Officer. Vicky serves our organization in a critical and high-stress role but never fails to show compassion for those she serves. She extends the healing ministry of Christ, showing compassion to patients when they are at their worst. She has accompanied patients through injuries, holding their hands and alleviating their fears.

This year, she even volunteered to foster the dog of a patient who needed surgery and had no one to care for his animal. She also extends this compassion to staff, exemplifying our love me service standard. She encourages staff to reach out to her at any time, day or night, even providing her personal cell, to ensure they feel supported and safe to speak up for safety. I've also witnessed her providing compassionate comfort to staff who are nervous or scared while participating in root cause analysis to get to the heart of errors or critical events.

Vicky embodies just culture with her calming presence and reassuring parts that put these staff members at ease, allowing them to relay important details of an incident without fear of reprisal. She is a fierce defender of patient safety and a speak-up culture. Vicki is one of my role models, and she deserves to be recognized as an extraordinary nurse leader.