Kathey Glenn, Nurse Manager of the 7th Floor Total Joint Unit is most deserving of the DAISY Nurse Leader Award. She is a true leader, role model and an example to us all.
Compassionate Caring
Kathey has a long career with CMC-Mercy and CHS for over 35 years and is extremely dedicated and committed to her unit, Mercy and CHS. She lives and breathes the CHS One Behaviors 24/7 and absolutely believes in what she does as a leader and takes complete ownership of her unit. Many who work with Kathey say they have been "blessed" to be a part of her life and career for many years. She has a long history at CMC-Mercy starting out as a Nurse Assistant, transitioning to a Unit Secretary, then an Assistant Nurse Manager and finally Nurse Manager. She has an impeccable work ethic and no job is too small for Kathey to take on. Having performed in each of the roles, she is quick to jump in wherever help is needed. She definitely leads by example. One example of this is instituting the "No Pass Zone" on the 7th floor where if a call bell is on, you do not pass by the room without addressing it. Recently, she was preoccupied and thinking about what she needed to do and passed by a room where the call light was on. A teammate called her attention to this and said, "You didn't just pass by that room with the light on, did you?" Kathey immediately redirected herself to the task at hand and began assisting the patient after answering the light. She is also cared about in return. One teammate vividly remembers that when Kathey was taking Algebra for nursing school, they would work on homework during their breaks. Whenever they were stumped on a question, the rounding physicians would help. This became a part of the physician rounding to check at the desk to see if she had any questions about Algebra or any other homework like it was a requirement of theirs. Per one teammate, "Kathey has that quality that promotes investment in her. The physicians were sincerely interested in her success and encouraged her along in her journey in obtaining her BSN.
Teamwork
Kathey is extremely supportive of her teammates and her peers. One peer states; "she is the example of professionalism, and has great rapport with everyone she interacts with." She is always willing to help other floors with staffing when there are needs. She is able to look at the whole picture and also help to ensure her peers and teammates are able to see the whole picture as well. Her nurses, nursing assistants and other teammates love her and work diligently for her. Another peer states; "She supported me during the loss of 2 of my family members and has shown great compassion through my toughest times. I rely and trust in her judgment professionally and as a peer." Kathey works to ensure her teammates participate in the shared governance activities and hospital committees so that they will have a voice at the table and that their ideas and suggestions are taken into consideration.
Kathey has been an exceptional support for our senior care program known as NICHE© (Nurses Improving the Care of Healthsystem Elders) within her nursing areas of responsibility. Since its inception in 2010 at Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy (CMC--Mercy), Kathey continues to advocate for the Geriatric Resource Nurse (GRN) role as a contributor to safe patient care on the 7th floor Orthopedic unit by providing time and engaging teammates and physicians about the role and its implications in delivering efficient and effective care for this population.
According to Maureen Fogle EdD, RN, NE-BC, Kathey and her GRN were involved in a 2012-2013 nationwide collaborative model of NICHE services that focused on the needs of the family caregiver. The grant funded program was in cooperation with NICHE, AJN (American Journal of Nursing) and AARP who were building a family care giver series as the next step in preventive senior care services both in hospital and post-discharge.
Kathey, the unit GRN, and teammates were instrumental in designing a template about the importance of caregiver involvement in Discharge planning. During this 12 month pilot the GRN and 7 North team collected over 200 surveys asking Caregivers opinion of what they felt was necessary for a successful discharge home. The HCAPHS scores measured during this time were 6-8/8 in all domains but particularly in Discharge Preparation areas, a trend that continues today.
Community Service
Kathey not only worked full time while obtaining her education to further her career, but also found time to help out in the community and with her family. She has done this while obtaining her BSN and also currently while she is in the process of obtaining her Masters in Nursing with a focus on community health. Kathey chose this focus as she wants to help the community after she retires. She has taken on the care of many elders in her church community, making sure they get to physician appointments, the grocery store, bank, etc. Kathey refers to them as her "Senior Citizens". She has always put others first and will do whatever she can for people in their time of need. She makes sure that her nieces, great-nieces, nephews and great-nephews have what they need to succeed in life from clothing to school supplies. Her benevolence does not stop there. If she knows of a staff member or peer in need, she has been known to provide care and clothes, and most importantly, compassion.
Commitment
Kathey has maintained a high commitment score in teammate engagement for several years. When she assumed the Nurse Manager role 7 years ago, the unit was a Tier III. Terri Bolotin, Director of Spiritual Care and Education states at one point, she had concerns with the way her teammates were treating each other. She purchased copies of The Four Agreements (a book that incorporates spiritual values, though not belonging to any one faith system). Kathey invited pastoral care to come and speak to her team at a breakfast meeting. The commitment of time and resources to her staff spoke volumes of her integration of the Core Values and One Behaviors. She provides the tools to help develop a sense of teamwork among her team. She models a way of caring for patients and teammates that is clear. Her faith is the core of her actions and she has little interest in impressing others. Kathey's unit has consistently been a model in demonstrating how to achieve strong patient experience scores. Yet, she does not like the limelight - some people would delight in the attention but Kathey is not interested in anything that takes away from her sense of mission - which is a caring response to patients, families and teammates, full of integrity and always generous to those she meets.
The HCAHPs scores are the best in the Central Division and the unit has sustained in meeting 7-8 out of 8 dimensions for 2015. Kathey works with her team to adhere to important metrics such as GetWell video compliance, discharges before noon, discharges in 2 hours, bedside reporting, shared medical record and HCAHPs. She works with her team to incorporate the Planetree components in the care of the patients and families. Kathey and her team own their performance and results and all of this is part of their everyday work.
Kathey Glenn is a role model for the leaders in the Central Division and is the epitome of a servant leader in her role of Nurse Manager.