I have had the distinct pleasure of supporting Michelle over the past 18 months, and have observed her care and compassion as a leader. As a Nurse Leader, Michelle shows compassion for her staff, the patients and families, while maintaining a calm demeanor, and ensuring the right thing is done for all involved.
Examples of this:
Recently a woman, a new mother, arrived to Trauma with severe injuries from a car accident, and unfortunately, the loss of her young baby. Once made aware of the situation, Michelle assisted the family and staff on 6-South where the patient was admitted in every way she could. The family was from Colorado as well, so there was an added layer of complexity in arrangements. Michelle spoke to the family, and coordinated with the representative from the out of state funeral home, and arranged to have the baby released to the family long enough for mom to hold her and say a proper goodbye. While the mom was not a patient in Women's Services, the important factor for Michelle was the proper care for the grieving family.
She arranged to have the baby's feet and hands cast in plaster before being taken by the funeral home personnel back to Colorado. It involved a lot of coordination and planning, pulling in the right staff, and personally assisting to ensure it was done with care and in a manner that was respectful to the baby and parents. It was time sensitive as the baby's body was being flown back to Colorado, where the family resides, and all needed to be done before the flight. In so doing, she ensured the father was involved in the process, to assist him in acceptance so that he could properly grieve. She accomplished all of this, and then she then personally delivered the cast to the parents on the unit.
This patient was not in Michelle's area, and 'not' her concern-except it was due to her compassionate and caring nature.
Volunteer Birth Companions
Michelle helped to establish a volunteer birth companion (doula) program for our patients who need one, often our patients from the prison or in low-income circumstances. She reached out to a coordinator in an out of state facility in order to gain adequate information to ensure success. He championed the program with L&D, the volunteer office, legal and other areas to ensure it was put into place. This is now an option for our at-risk or low-income patients, and the program has approximately 20 trained volunteers who are in rotation to assist birthing mothers.
Meetings/Leadership Speaking Engagements
She has been asked by the CNM Student Nursing Association to speak about nursing twice. Her point in her talks is the compassion necessary to be a good nurse. Because of her reputation for inspirational leadership, she has been asked twice that I am aware of, as well as to our Peds RN Sups meeting.
In what was to be her final meeting for Women's Services Leadership (outpatient and inpatient) she spoke about the importance of excellent care and compassion in nursing our women. From the outpatient clinic, M&FP, and Milagro roles to inpatient birthing, and Women's Special Care areas, she showed her RN Sups and Directors not only the flow from one area to another but the impact on the families of the women we serve. I could see eyes being opened as she spoke about the importance a woman has in choosing her family's care providers and facility and how their care here in the Women's Areas impacts their decisions.
Throughout her meetings, whether correcting or guiding, she is always open to suggestions, and in assisting others.
Directors/Staff
When she rounds on the units, she includes the housekeeping staff and is always truly thankful for their support, and goes out of her way to ensure they know that she appreciates them and their work. She ensures they know that their work is vital to excellent patient care.
I have seen staff from her areas come to her grieving over a loss, or to celebrate an accomplishment. They know her door is open and that she is always willing to help them. She encourages her unit directors to care for themselves, and their families, as well as their patients. She understands work/life balance and the importance of taking time to recharge, and the impact it has on patient care.
No matter what may be happening at Michelle's level, she remembers to model excellent leadership skills and patient care.
Mentoring
Michelle participates in the mentoring program and cares well for those she mentors. She has assisted one to improve patient flow at her clinic and follows up if the person gets too busy to attend a mentor meeting.
An RN supervisor she mentored earlier this year has this to say:
"I first met Michelle Wafer in August of 2017 when she became my mentor for the Up and Comers program. From our first mentoring session together I could tell that she was committed to mentoring young leaders. As a leader and mentor, Michelle welcomes conversation and problem solving to allow leaders to grow professionally. As a busy Executive Director, Michelle is extremely generous with her time. Her open door policy allows those seeking her guidance to drop in for a quick conversation. Overall, her commitment to leadership and mentoring is exceptional and I could have never asked for a better leadership mentor."