Vicki Hubble

Pictured left to right:  Mark Nichols, Chief Executive Officer; Cathy Smotrila, RN & co-chair of the Nursing Professional Development Council; Marsha Myers, Cancer Center Director; Carol Hodge, RN, Cancer Center; Ms. Vicki Hubble, RN & DAISY Award recipient; Sarah Reed, PCHS nursing aid student; Christy Rodgers, RN & member of the NPD Council; Sandy Emeott, Chief Nursing Officer.

On Wednesday, October 27 the Nursing Professional Development Council of LewisGale Hospital, Pulaski announced its first winner of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.   Members of the NPD Council, Administration and LewisGale Regional Cancer Center of Pulaski staff presented Ms. Vicki Hubble, RN with the third quarter, 2010 Award for demonstrated exemplary patient care.

Vicki Hubble received multiple nominations from both coworkers and patients.  Stories were shared of specific  actions on behalf of patients that demonstrate her compassion and willingness to step outside of the clinical setting to follow up on patient well-being and comfort.  In a blind evaluation of the nine nominees, the Nursing Professional Development Council of the hospital reviewed the documentation of care submitted by each nominator.  The documentation was carefully compared with the values of a DAISY nurse in an effort to make the difficult decision to choose the one nurse to receive the third quarter, 2010 Award.

Chief Nursing Officer, Sandy Emeott, commented, “I have had the privilege to work with Vicki in various capacities over the past eleven years.  Her compassion for patients is inspirational to me.  She exemplifies excellence in nursing.  Vicki is focused on the technical aspects of her job and delivers her care with a great foundation of knowledge and focus on safety.  What inspires me is her ability to assist in healing - not only physically, but through her sweet spirit  she brings emotional and spiritual healing to her patients and their families.  She has been blessed with a spirit of servanthood and she uses this for the betterment of her patients.  I am so proud to call her my coworker.”

In commenting on Ms. Hubble’s selection for this honor, Ms. Cathy Smotrila, RN, Director of the Emergency Department at LewisGale Hospital, Pulaski and co-chair of the Nursing Professional Development Council stated, “In my 37 years as a nurse, Vicki is one of the most compassionate nurses I have ever worked with. She epitomizes what Florence Nightingale envisioned for nurses all those years ago. I am proud to say that she is a member of the LewisGale, Pulaski team.”

When speaking of Vicki, Cancer Center Director, Marsha Myers, had this to say:  “I began working with Vicki less than a year ago and I immediately noticed how talented she is with people.   She is a great listener and responds to the needs of her physicians and patients with respect, sincerity, and compassion.  Vicki has a way of bringing a calmness to the atmosphere which I think our patients respond to very positively.  She is very meticulous with her work and constantly looks for ways to improve the quality of care that we can provide to our patients.  One of the greatest projects she volunteered to do was our Hope Garden.  She worked with area schools and businesses to donate plants.  She transformed our once dull area into a vibrant garden that our patients and staff truly enjoy.”

Ms. Hubble has been an employee of LewisGale Hospital at Pulaski for thirty-four years.  During that time, she has worked in the medical surgical unit, the emergency department and has been a house supervisor.  Currently Ms. Hubble serves as the infusion center nursing supervisor.  She received her Certification in Emergency Nursing in October of 1995.  A resident of Dublin, Vicki has a son, Patrick, who recently was voted Pulaski County High School’s Most Valuable Cougar and Homecoming King.  She also shares her home with a pit bull, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, whom she rescued from the local Humane Society and describes as “the best dog anybody could ask for.”

But when it comes to receiving the DAISY Award, Vicki shared that she felt “very humbled.  There are so many good nurses at LewisGale, Pulaski who are very admirable and selfless.  Nursing is a servicing profession that requires a serving heart and we have so many nurses who display that servant’s heart . . . .    Nursing, the patients, and their families have been more of a blessing to me than I could ever express in words.”

Other excellent nurses nominated for the third quarter Award were Christy Rodgers, RN in the Medical/Surgical unit; Becky Woodyard, RN in Cardiac Rehab; Betty Akers, RN in Cardiac Rehab; Annette Chewning, RN in ICU; Olga Dalton, RN in the Medical/Surgical unit; Gail Sutphin, RN in Surgical Services; Lynn Keister, RN and Patient Care Coordinator; and Kim Arnold, RN in the Emergency Department.