July 2017
Alisa
Edwards
,
RN
East Austin
CommUnityCare
Austin
,
TX
United States
There is not one isolated story that exemplifies what Alisa Edwards is to our pediatrics unit and what she has done for us as the providers; rather, there are many - a multitude of small stories and victories about providing leadership, boosting morale and bringing together a team to provide the best pediatric care possible to Alisa's patients. I have worked in this organization for over 10 years and she is one of the best I have encountered! Not only is she the captain of a ship that was once rocky and now sails smoothly, she does so with grace, knowledge, and professionalism. She strives to promote camaraderie amongst her staff and stands side-by-side with them, not above them. Additionally, she is constantly looking for ways to improve the way we do things so that our workflow is improved; this lets us see patients faster, effectively and efficiently. This, in turn, increases patient satisfaction.
We also have a lot of new faces that come through here as this is the primary clinic site for all 55 UT-DMS pediatric residents. Alisa recently implemented a resident spotlight in which our trainees are interviewed by staff and then featured in a central location where both patients and others can see it. As the faculty attending's, we truly appreciate how she embraces these new learners and makes them feel welcome. This, in turn, encourages them to take ownership of "their clinic" and the patients they see here. It has been awhile since the East Austin team has been this cohesive. I sincerely believe it is because of Alisa's leadership and am truly appreciative for that. Thank you, Alisa!
***
It is abundantly obvious that there is a special place in Alisa's heart for our special needs patients. We have a 9-month-old patient who has a chromosomal abnormality and receives feeds through a feeding tube. Her mother is a recent migrant from Honduras and has low health literacy. Alisa makes this patient and her mother feel so special whenever they come in to clinic. She has helped the mom troubleshoot referrals, feeding tube issues, and Medicaid. Alisa proves herself to be a patient advocate and true professional daily with this kind of attention to our patients. One exceptional day, however, she was doing intake on our special patient and she noticed that her spine did not seem straight. She pointed out this finding to me, which had been previously missed and we got her connected to the orthopedic surgeons to evaluate her for scoliosis. This is just one example of how Alisa's attention, experience and leadership set her apart as an invaluable member of the team. This sentiment is echoed by our patient's mom who refers to Alisa as "her nurse"!
We also have a lot of new faces that come through here as this is the primary clinic site for all 55 UT-DMS pediatric residents. Alisa recently implemented a resident spotlight in which our trainees are interviewed by staff and then featured in a central location where both patients and others can see it. As the faculty attending's, we truly appreciate how she embraces these new learners and makes them feel welcome. This, in turn, encourages them to take ownership of "their clinic" and the patients they see here. It has been awhile since the East Austin team has been this cohesive. I sincerely believe it is because of Alisa's leadership and am truly appreciative for that. Thank you, Alisa!
***
It is abundantly obvious that there is a special place in Alisa's heart for our special needs patients. We have a 9-month-old patient who has a chromosomal abnormality and receives feeds through a feeding tube. Her mother is a recent migrant from Honduras and has low health literacy. Alisa makes this patient and her mother feel so special whenever they come in to clinic. She has helped the mom troubleshoot referrals, feeding tube issues, and Medicaid. Alisa proves herself to be a patient advocate and true professional daily with this kind of attention to our patients. One exceptional day, however, she was doing intake on our special patient and she noticed that her spine did not seem straight. She pointed out this finding to me, which had been previously missed and we got her connected to the orthopedic surgeons to evaluate her for scoliosis. This is just one example of how Alisa's attention, experience and leadership set her apart as an invaluable member of the team. This sentiment is echoed by our patient's mom who refers to Alisa as "her nurse"!