There was a day almost a year ago that I came in to do a virtual presentation with the hopes of getting a project approved that I was very passionate about. I was nervous, came in almost an hour early to prepare, and walked into Allison's office to use the clinical supervisor’s computer. I walked in to find her sitting at the smaller clinical supervisor's desk, and she told me she moved her stuff that morning so that I could use HER Desk and computer since it worked better. I had to make an excuse and walk out so she didn't see me get teary-eyed.

The support that she showed in this one gesture is the epitome of why Mercy Hospital has become my home and why this unit means so much to so many of us. This gesture was by no means the only one of support and compassion. It happens so frequently that it is thought of as normal by so many of us, we are used to her advocating for her team and the patients, so used to it that I wanted to take this opportunity to make sure she knows that it is not normal to be this exceptional of a leader and it is appreciated.

Allison has been the Nurse Manager of our ICU well before I started. Prior to Allison, I had the pleasure of working with good managers, but this experience has taught me the difference between good and excellent. She could easily take a patient assignment if needed, and would work beside us in a heartbeat, even though she has been away from the bedside for many years (many, many years). Often, I will work in her office on projects for the unit and have the opportunity to witness "behind the scenes" of what she does day-to-day, and what I hear and see is her working tirelessly for her team. She is always advocating for us, speaking up for us, trying to figure out how to provide everyone with what need on the unit. I hear her advocating for our patients and teaching the staff how to do the same. She is always available for questions and conversations, no matter how much else is going on. She never says 'no' to any idea. She would instead take the time to explain why something has a low chance of working but will also provide you with resources to allow you the opportunity to try. Any question asked is fully answered, sometimes with follow-ups of emails with more information she took the time to find.

The presentation I spoke of at the beginning of this nomination form was about an idea I had to create an interdisciplinary council to work alongside the current shared governance structure to assist teammates with bringing ideas to fruition. When I first brought the idea to Allison all I said was- I am frustrated that there isn't enough being done to improve issues teammates are having- in the height of Covid, I want to do something about it to help the teammates have a louder voice. From just that one random thought, she supported me in the six-month process of figuring out what that means on paper and helping me find the people who would be able to assist me in turning this idea into a reality. She did not tell me exactly what to do, she did not write it out for me, but led me in the right direction, was available for questions, advice, and mentorship in my own rhythm and time. The outcome of this method was that I felt I had done this, this was an accomplishment to be proud of, not something someone else did for me, but something I was supported in.

Since then, I have been honored with the responsibility of being this year’s President of Nursing Staff for the Central Market, a role I have only been able to achieve and sustain due to her mentorship and support. In this role, I have had the opportunity to lead many more presentations, several of them on what kind of leader a unit needs to have successful shared governance. Those power point presentations are filled with slides that explain exactly the type of leader Allison is in the hopes that more units get to experience characteristics that she embodies. This nomination is focused on my personal experience with Allison, but I know I am not alone in how appreciative the ICU here at Mercy is to have her.