Brenda is an awesome nurse and informal leader. In her role, she is attentive to detail, assures training and education is complete and, while serving in the preceptor or Charge Nurse role, is an excellent role model to other Clinical Nurses. Her peers view her like a “mother hen” and she is well-loved. She guides and mentors new nurses and nurses new to the setting. She initiated the Employee of the Quarter program, getting votes, conducting the drawing, making certificates, and posting on the unit's Facebook and bulletin board to highlight. She truly participates as a leader in supporting our organizational goals and strategies for retention, well-being, and reduced turnover.

In 2018 we began our international nurse recruitment program in an effort to fill our critical need for nurses. As we began this endeavor, we engaged our current teammates who are also of an international origin to assist us in this process. We wanted to ensure that we were establishing an environment that would be attractive and welcoming, and help these future teammates to feel a part of our team and community. Since the initial conversations of this endeavor, this nurse leader was engaged, enthusiastic, and eager to help. We had no idea to the extent of what her actual commitment would be.

In the summer of 2021, we began to welcome our first nurses with excitement. Beginning with the very first international nurse. This nurse leader personally welcomed each of them when they arrive in Macon. She has done this, not because we ask her to, but because it is her passion to make others feel welcome. She has provided them with transportation, assisted them in the process of getting a social security card, obtaining a driver’s license, and fingerprinting. What she has done has taken much of her personal time and commitment and has really shown her compassion for others and ensuring that our new teammates receive a warm welcome to our community.

If this isn’t enough, she has also opened up her home to them; frequently hosting social gatherings, birthdays, and baby showers. She is the mom away from home for each of them and their families. It is truly amazing what she has done and continues to do to support these nurses in this new adventure in their personal and professional careers. She has been a vital asset to the success of this program with her hospitality and dedication. She has helped them to adjust to our community by being a resource for finding those accommodations that are more in line with their culture; shopping, grocery stores, churches, and networking. She has truly been a resource, guidance counselor, and friend to each of them. She has created the foundation for future international nurses to be welcomed into a network of others that share in their culture, provide support to each other, and will be a valuable part of our nursing team.

Brenda has been with the organization since 2008 and has been a nurse in several nursing areas throughout her tenure. She is known for her exceptional clinical knowledge, skill, and compassion to mentor new nurses by all hospital staff. She has also created a warm, nurturing, and inclusive environment within her unit as well. Her efforts outside of the unit with the international nurse program are an extension of her leadership, mentoring, and guidance that she provides inside our walls. I would like to nominate her for this award for her servant leadership, mentoring, and guidance that she has provided to 57 nurses to date. Due to her efforts and commitment Atrium, in return, is receiving nurses and their families into our community with a sense of belonging and inclusion. This amazing nurse leader is Brenda Chatmon.