Dennis R. Harris, Jr, MSN, MA Ed, RN-BC, NE has been the Nurse Manager on 6A ACE (Acute Care of the Elderly) Unit for over 5 years. He came to us from another AMSL unit and brought with him leadership skills from that experience, as well as leadership skills from his previous careers in education and business. Dennis has been a wonderful addition to our ACE Unit team, always keeping the patients, their families, and our staff all at the forefront in a well-balanced model of care. He holds all of us to a high standard because that is what it takes to provide care to our older adults with love and excellence. He expects a lot from himself and from the staff. He is dedicated as a Unit Leader, as he works 24/7—in terms of always thinking about how we can do things better and always being available to our staff.
His creative leadership style is inspiring to our unit. He was chosen to be part of Leadership Delaware and attended their intensive one year program, becoming one of their star alumni. He also was part of the year-long AONE Nurse Manager Leadership program, representing CCHS well. Being well-organized, he was able to juggle his full-time job as a Nurse Manager, teaching nursing students, and family obligations, as well as participate fully in those additional programs. In addition, he recently became certified as a Nurse Executive, another leadership designation and certification.
From rounds to event reviews to council meetings to staff evaluations, he rolls his sleeves up to dig into the work, highlighting the good, and assisting those who need guidance. His staff and council meetings have become quite interesting, including book club style, poem reading, and more recently movie time. He is known for involving the staff in decision making and will share a situation or problem, knowing that the staff will do their best to come up with a solution. He is truly a team leader and team player. He is strong yet gentle; gentle, yet strong. What a wonderful combination in a true leader.
We are a better unit due to Dennis Harris and his leadership. This is in part due to his outstanding skills, but also because he knows how to identify others' talents and help them develop their talents and skills. That is a sign of a true leader. Dennis is often tapped to represent our unit or the AMSL on committees and represents us very well. He has been very involved in the Systemwide Patient Experience work at ChristianaCare and is a terrific role model for what that should look like. On the unit, Dennis spends a lot of time with patients and families, making that a top priority for him. By doing that, he shares his talents with many others who see him representing ChristianaCare as a nurse and as a leader. The staff respects him, knowing that he has the patients, families, and their best interests in mind. His gentle spirit, genuine sincerity, and positive approach are appreciated by those lucky enough to interact with him. Dennis also gives back to the community, participating in volunteer activities with his family, schools, parish, and with ChristianaCare.
We are truly blessed to work with such a dedicated leader who exemplifies what ChristianaCare is all about: "We Serve Together with Love and Excellence". That is Dennis Harris, our nurse manager extraordinaire!