Leslie Heitkamp
August 2022
Leslie
Heitkamp
,
RN
Anesthesiology & Surgical Services
Essentia Health- Fargo
Fargo
,
ND
United States
We work better collaboratively because of her and because of her, we are able to better care for our patients and work efficiently together.
There is comfort in sameness but the discomfort of change fosters growth. Leslie has nurtured and pushed our department to that type of growth. It is hard to make change in a department when it has always been done a certain way. Ever since taking on the role of OR manager, Leslie has pushed us all to be better employees and teammates. Our department has seen so much growth from the dedication of Leslie.
We continuously meet goals and see change because of her unfailing belief in us as a team. She increases success and navigates the change. We had not met our metric of on-time starts since December of 2020. After mornings of Leslie bouncing to the ORs, looking to help, to her in pre-op holding cheering the nurses on to get to the ORs before 7 am sharp, we met our goal. Our goal is to have 70% or higher average of in-room starts. In March, we came in at 72%. So after 14 months, we met our goal. We crushed it now for April, where out of 21 scheduled OR days, we only dipped below 70% three of the days. Three out of 21!!! Talk about wow! We had multiple 100% days.
Her radiant light helps us see the light in ourselves. She believes in us. We work better collaboratively because of her and because of her, we are able to better care for our patients and work efficiently together. Her effective leadership approach helps create a space for our team to grow together, connect across organizational functions and develop a growth mindset. She has made me a better charge nurse, she doesn't just help me fix the problems at hand, but gives me the tools to help me fix them myself, making me a stronger leader.
Organizations don't succeed by having leaders in place but by how those leaders treat, train, and mentor their teams. Leslie started as a CST, making her way to obtaining her certified first assistant. She worked weekends putting herself through RN school. She progressed from an OR nurse to Anesthesia manager and adding OR manager shortly after that. During her manager time, she added BSN to her plate of achievements. She has been in so many positions in the OR that she is a cheerleader and advocate for all staff. Even though she hasn't always had the title of leader, she has always been a leader in her roles. She is able to relate and be applicable to the staff. Humble leadership doesn't mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less and your team more. And that is one of the best ways to describe Leslie.
We continuously meet goals and see change because of her unfailing belief in us as a team. She increases success and navigates the change. We had not met our metric of on-time starts since December of 2020. After mornings of Leslie bouncing to the ORs, looking to help, to her in pre-op holding cheering the nurses on to get to the ORs before 7 am sharp, we met our goal. Our goal is to have 70% or higher average of in-room starts. In March, we came in at 72%. So after 14 months, we met our goal. We crushed it now for April, where out of 21 scheduled OR days, we only dipped below 70% three of the days. Three out of 21!!! Talk about wow! We had multiple 100% days.
Her radiant light helps us see the light in ourselves. She believes in us. We work better collaboratively because of her and because of her, we are able to better care for our patients and work efficiently together. Her effective leadership approach helps create a space for our team to grow together, connect across organizational functions and develop a growth mindset. She has made me a better charge nurse, she doesn't just help me fix the problems at hand, but gives me the tools to help me fix them myself, making me a stronger leader.
Organizations don't succeed by having leaders in place but by how those leaders treat, train, and mentor their teams. Leslie started as a CST, making her way to obtaining her certified first assistant. She worked weekends putting herself through RN school. She progressed from an OR nurse to Anesthesia manager and adding OR manager shortly after that. During her manager time, she added BSN to her plate of achievements. She has been in so many positions in the OR that she is a cheerleader and advocate for all staff. Even though she hasn't always had the title of leader, she has always been a leader in her roles. She is able to relate and be applicable to the staff. Humble leadership doesn't mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less and your team more. And that is one of the best ways to describe Leslie.