Nicole started at CNVAMC in October 2022 as an Assistant Chief Nurse for Acute Care.  She was new to the VA, yet during her first few months, she quickly took on challenges, stepping into the acting Chief Nurse of Acute Care and then the acting Chief Nurse of Hospital Services role, and is now the permanent Chief Nurse of Acute Care.  She did all of this without hesitation; she was excited and eager for every opportunity given and tackled them all with passion and professionalism.  Nicole worked tirelessly to tackle problems with the Emergency Department, including a larger triage room, pull-to-full, triage training, and patient throughput to prevent bottlenecks. When a new blood draw device was introduced, and blood contamination rates soared, she quickly pulled the device. She worked with Evidence-Based Practice and Educators to correct the course, among many other things that are too numerous to mention.  Since taking her current role as Chief Nurse of Acute Care, she has again shown her passion and dedication for results.  All units display their Quality Scorecards on huddle boards, and staff huddle at shift change, talking about the unit's health. Performance improvement projects are planned and moving forward for FY2025.  Ongoing QAPI meetings occur monthly for Acute Care and ED to track and trend outcomes. Ms. Aenchbacher has worked with her team to improve many metrics for FY24.  Some of these metrics are noted below:

•    Inpatient Veteran Experience SAIL:  4th to 2nd quintile in Hospital Transition/5th to 4th quintile Overall Hosp. Rating
•    EOC rounds: 100%
•    Instrumental in National Tele-Stroke Program (NTSP) implementation to include participation in Mock Code Strokes.
•    Hardwired Leadership Rounding
•    Hardwired Hourly Rounding
•    Hardwired Bedside Report
•    Improvement of Discharge Folder to include FCAT Tool
•    Sepsis, 1st quintile 

In FY2024, Ms. Aenchbacher was selected to represent Augusta as an up-and-coming leader to attend the Clinical Leadership Improvement, Networking, and Innovation Course in Orlando.

Ms. Aenchbacher indeed leads by example. She motivates her team to work together, strive for consistent improvement, and provide our veterans with the best quality of care. She is a shining example of true Nurse Leadership at Charlie Norwood.  

This list does not include all achievements, and I look forward to what her team will accomplish in FY25.