Kristin Ramsey
September 2024
Kristin
Ramsey
,
MSN, MPPM, RN, NE-BC
Executive Administration
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago
,
IL
United States
I’ve seen your compassion and integrity when making tough decisions. Through our conversations, I’ve learned that no two situations are the same, but if you lead with the NM values, you will be fine. Patients First. Always.
It is my pleasure to nominate Kristin Ramsey for the first ever DAISY Nurse Leader Award at the Northwestern Medicine Academic Medical Center. Kristin, as you now lead us as the first CNO of the NM health care system, it is only fitting that you are recognized in this way. I have a page full of bullet points of your accomplishments that I have witnessed over the past 8 years working with you. The CNE role is not easily seen by the many nurses you lead, so I thought I would provide a peek into what I see.
It starts with being the only nurse at the table to advocate for nurses at the bedside who care for our patients 24/7, their well-being, safety, and continuing education. I have seen up close how hard you work to secure financial support for nursing; by reaching out to current and prospective donors, making a call or meeting with them, all so we can provide support for nursing research, continuing education, scholarship programs, and professional and leadership development opportunities. And I can’t forget to mention the many meetings with the CFO or President to talk about the budget.
I have also seen you work tirelessly with our talent acquisition partners to recruit nurses, often challenging them to “get the data” to better understand nursing turnover in order to make strategic decisions to improve staffing. And with your persistence, we now have much better data to guide our decisions.
It is also the countless regulatory visits and findings that make us hold our breath until they leave the building, but you remain calm in the chaos, saying, “We’ll get through this” as you lead in the command center, directing like an air traffic controller, and knowing the right person to call for every issue. You are truly an operations maven.
Most importantly, I’ve seen your compassion and integrity when making tough decisions. Through our conversations, I’ve learned that no two situations are the same, but if you lead with the NM values, you will be fine. Patients First. Always.
And, of course, there is humor. I have seen you use it to diffuse tension and frustration or just provide a diversion from the stress of the situation. And how can we forget the countless sayings –”not sure that’s the hill I want to die on.” “Don’t boil the ocean, girl” and “death by a thousand paper cuts”. And my favorite: “take this home and look it over with a glass of wine.”
Thank you, Kristin, for all you have done for nursing, our patients, and NMH, and for getting nursing a seat at the (big) table! Since your inception as a CNE in 2015, you have elevated nursing practice at the AMC in many ways and led our nurses with integrity, compassion, strength, and humor.
It starts with being the only nurse at the table to advocate for nurses at the bedside who care for our patients 24/7, their well-being, safety, and continuing education. I have seen up close how hard you work to secure financial support for nursing; by reaching out to current and prospective donors, making a call or meeting with them, all so we can provide support for nursing research, continuing education, scholarship programs, and professional and leadership development opportunities. And I can’t forget to mention the many meetings with the CFO or President to talk about the budget.
I have also seen you work tirelessly with our talent acquisition partners to recruit nurses, often challenging them to “get the data” to better understand nursing turnover in order to make strategic decisions to improve staffing. And with your persistence, we now have much better data to guide our decisions.
It is also the countless regulatory visits and findings that make us hold our breath until they leave the building, but you remain calm in the chaos, saying, “We’ll get through this” as you lead in the command center, directing like an air traffic controller, and knowing the right person to call for every issue. You are truly an operations maven.
Most importantly, I’ve seen your compassion and integrity when making tough decisions. Through our conversations, I’ve learned that no two situations are the same, but if you lead with the NM values, you will be fine. Patients First. Always.
And, of course, there is humor. I have seen you use it to diffuse tension and frustration or just provide a diversion from the stress of the situation. And how can we forget the countless sayings –”not sure that’s the hill I want to die on.” “Don’t boil the ocean, girl” and “death by a thousand paper cuts”. And my favorite: “take this home and look it over with a glass of wine.”
Thank you, Kristin, for all you have done for nursing, our patients, and NMH, and for getting nursing a seat at the (big) table! Since your inception as a CNE in 2015, you have elevated nursing practice at the AMC in many ways and led our nurses with integrity, compassion, strength, and humor.