July 2019
Angela
Lawrence
,
RN
Float Pool Manager
Boulder Community Health
Boulder
,
CO
United States

 

 

 

Angela has always stood out as exceptional. Whether considering her vibrant personality, her skills with communication, organization, and teaching, her abilities to navigate tech systems, or her expression with paint, Angela stands out as being remarkable. She is arguably the best manager of a unit of employees, policies, patients, and time that I've had the pleasure to know. Angela accepted managerial duties of IPREH in May 2018. This required getting to know each and every employee on the unit, adapting to the therapy-based workflow of the unit, managing and meeting the needs of the unit in an isolated old building, and juggling depleted staff coverage. There were times when Angela had to jump in to be the RN needed to cover a shift. There were other times when Angela had to jump in to be the only RN in the building who could draw a lab on a tough-stick patient. Her floor nurse skills never developed a dull edge. Wrapping all of this was a pending physical move of the unit from the old Broadway campus over to the Foothills campus, and the ultimate merging of IPREH with UCHealth in a joint venture with BCH. She tackled the move with precision because of her ability to set up clear structure and organization, and because of her effective communication with staff. She has participated in staff interviews with UCHealth, and has always had our backs in this transition. But all of this is just her side job! Paralleling this, she has been finishing up her Master's Degree, managing float staff, working on Nurse Practice Council, overseeing API and the time cards, and is preparing to bring training for the EPIC system hospital-wide. Angela juggles projects very well, but first and foremost Angela is a nurse. She has compassion for staff and patients. She looks out for them. She has always made herself available to staff. She listens. She councils. She suggests. She shares. And she's fun. She lives a balanced life. She values her family (dogs are family, too), and manages to have a life outside of work. It's rare when people have the ability to effectively manage. Angela has been a great manager to observe. Because I will be part of the transition to UCHealth, she will not be my manager after this unit moves and closes at BCH. I feel so fortunate to have been able to observe first-hand a truly excellent Nurse Manager.