This amazing nurse graduated with a 4.0 from the University of Arizona, College of Nursing with a Master of Science Degree in Nursing and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physiology from Michigan State University. She is the Associate Director of Nursing for a complex behavioral unit with 41 direct reports. She has worked in multiple roles as an RN Operations Support Specialist (ROSS), an RN Coordinator for Orthopedics, and a charge nurse and RN Senior Manager (62 direct reports) in the Emergency Department.  She is a member of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Nursing Honor Society.  She co-chairs the House Shared Leadership Committee and is a member of the Nursing Peer Review Committee.  She has worked on assault/restraints, sepsis, stroke, falls and many other quality programs. She is chair/member of the Clinical Ladder Committee and has been a preceptor to new graduate(s), U of A and Pima Community College students, Emergency Department clinical rotation student(s), and high school student shadowing. She is involved in so many areas including quality and safety, productivity, throughput, department goals, collaboration with multidisciplinary teams within the Behavioral Health Department, hospital onboarding and orientation of departmental staff, and annual evaluations. She cares both for the patients and her staff, and she dedicates time to creating a positive work environment. She works tirelessly to remove obstacles and issues when they arise, and she prepares the team to ensure everyone is on the same page and working cohesively with one another.  

On a personal note, she is so amazing, and she reached out to me to ensure I had everything I needed to do my job and walked me through the process of successfully re-certifying myself for the RQI program. Most importantly, she checked in on me both many times after my grandfather died.  She is such an authentic leader. I am a psych tech, and she makes me feel so important and that I make a difference to the patients and the hospital. When she checked up on me it made the grieving process and the funeral much more bearable. A quote by Christina Feist-Heilmeier, “Every nurse was drawn to nursing because of a desire to care, to serve, or to help.”  This quote is true about this nurse, and she is an angel for helping everyone. She is an outstanding boss and I learn from her every day. Actually, if there was one sentence to properly describe this nurse, it would be as follows: “She isn’t a boss, she is a leader!”

This nominee is a role model for nursing and her community. Her nursing philosophy stems from patient-centered care which places the patient at the center of the care team. Providing patients with nurturing, compassionate and empathetic care by the patient care team and bringing them the most up to date knowledge is what this nurse does. She believes that providing a collaborative environment where different scopes can contribute valuable input benefits the patient. She has used this growth and understanding to promote better patient outcomes and to pass on this growth to other care team members. She leads by example and incorporate their expertise in patient care. She believes in incorporating team members in decision making which she believes empowers them to provide excellent patient care. She passes on her key practices and values to help the staff grow and develop in their fields.  She uses evidenced based practice and research into her daily routine.  She encourages nurses to get certified and to further their education or knowledge. 

She contributes to the Tucson community, is involved with community outreach, and has special nursing skills. She is involved with her children’s school and is a member of the Cienega High School Drama Parent Boosters in Vail. This nurse has been a member President, Treasurer, and School Year Parent. She regularly donates to multiple charities, including Resource Community Food Bank of Vail, providing food to the Vail area. She also donates to Goodwill and St. Jude’s. She has participated in the Buddy Walk for SANDS (Southern Arizona Network for Down Syndrome) an advocacy initiative launched in 1995 by The National Down Syndrome Society. It serves as a vehicle to generate significant awareness and understanding of Down syndrome nationally while simultaneously raising critical funds to support local programs. She contributes to the Better Together Program, which makes a difference in patient care and in the community.  Her charitable giving helps research, patients care and staff programs. She is trained in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Trauma Nursing Core Curriculum (TNCC), Emergency Nursing Pediatric Curriculum (ENPC), Ultrasound- Guided Intravenous (US IV) Insertion and External Jugular Intravenous (EJ IV) Insertion.  She educates nurses on these topics, so they are able to provide care to our patients. One staff wrote this MVP award for this nurse and wrote, “Thank you so much for coming and helping us with the behavioral health RN academy simulation day!! We really appreciate you going above and beyond and your willingness to join the academy to help our staff better understand behavioral health.”

She is a role model and mentor to staff, promoting their growth and knowledge, which improves the patient experience, quality of care, and positive patient outcomes. She is an RQI Superuser and educator. She mentors staff to expand in their profession and advance on the clinical ladder. She is a role model and is the department's tPA champion. In the past, she created the original draft of stroke “BEFAST” badge buddies, the SI Action Plan Audit tool, and the” One Stop Audit Shop” for the Emergency Department. This nurse co-organized the 1st Annual “Fall Festival Skills Day” and the 1st Annual “Spring Fling” Committee Fair. She is a to both the Behavioral Health and Emergency Department bedside staff. She has created Behavioral Health Specialist Checklist and implemented the Hand Hygiene audits to improve the hand hygiene metrics. One nurse wrote, “Thank you for serving as a guide and mentor as I continue to develop in my role, for utilizing critical thinking and patience to address issues that transcend across all departments, and for continuing to collaborate to best serve one another, leadership, and our new staff-THANK YOU! I could not do anything without you!” Another nurse wrote an MVP award for her, “She developed a packet for patients about suicidal ideation (SI)- much like the stroke packets used in the ED-to assist nursing staff with making sure all elements of our required Suicidal Ideation ISI) interventions and documentation are complete. This will significantly improve patient safety as well as compliance for our regulatory audits.  Thank you for your creativity and innovation and for putting safety first!” Holly is a true DAISY Nurse.