I have several stories to support this exceptional nurse. One that will always stick out is when I had to be charge on our unit and it’s not a role I do often. Megan helped me through a crisis when we had admission after admission coming in and I was unable to admit a patient into the epic system. Megan helped me through the whole process. She also helped with a discharge I had that same day where we had a patient changing the pharmacy, they would be using for the medications would be going home when the patient finally agreed on a pharmacy to use, it did not have the one medication the patient really needed. Megan helped by providing a pharmacy that the patient could use and a reasonable amount for the patient to pay for. Throughout this difficult day, she would encourage me and always ask if she could help even when she had her own work to do; and was also in the process of orientating our new nurse manager. Megan always comes to our unit and spreads encouragement to the staff and gives her appreciation to the staff as well. She is a blessing to Baylor Scott and White Hillcrest.

Megan was assigned to be the director of IPR during a time of turmoil and confusion with a newly assigned nurse manager (me!) that didn't know which direction to go first! Please allow me to paint a picture of a small town that had been hit by a tornado and needed to be rebuilt. Megan took the time, energy, and effort to assess the situation through her critical thinking skills to fashion a reconstruction plan. Her first step... the people! Connecting with the people, she made herself available to begin identifying barriers and picking up the proverbial debris. Megan didn't know all the lingo or idiosyncrasies of rehab, but she knew nursing and how to systematically enact change within a unit. Her commitment to being a change agent gained the attention of the staff very quickly. As we continue to rebuild, she has been at the very center of the construct to enable us to create processes to support our work which translates into excellent patient outcomes and employee satisfaction.

On a personal note, Megan took me under her wing to mentor me, as I was new to the nurse manager role. I have a hard time expressing my gratitude without becoming emotional. Megan took the time to understand who I am and how my brain works, she took the time to build me up and encourage me, she took the time to walk me through how to handle different situations as they arose, she took the TIME. Time is a precious commodity that we in the healthcare field know how hard it is to squeeze extra minutes out of the day. Never did I feel rushed or put to the side for more important endeavors, if it is important to me, then it is important to Megan. She treated me with respect and patience at all times, never belittling me or shaming me for not knowing something. She approaches all situations through the lens of what is best for the patients and what is best for the staff. She just "makes sense"! She continues to inspire me to be a better leader and a better person, and I am so grateful that our paths have merged. 

Megan embodies the BSWH values like no one I've ever met or had the pleasure to work alongside. She inspires trust, compassion, and respect for all employees and patients to base all decisions on. We all know, as nurses, that we have our good days and we have our days when we rely on those around us for support, encouragement, and motivation - Megan is THAT leader.