Roseline (Debbie) Vaaltyn
June 2021
Roseline (Debbie)
Vaaltyn
,
MS, BSN, RN
Sheikh Zayed Specialty Clinics
Children’s National Hospital
Washington
,
DC
United States
Throughout this new project, Debbie has persisted in her dedication to our staff and families.
This past year has been challenging to say the least. It would have been easy for Debbie to focus on the confines of her job and the large burden of work that needed to be done for the areas she manages inclusive of our pivot to telemedicine, new screening needs for hundreds of daily patient visits, and attendance to the heightened stress all of our families and staff have been feeling. While we all spent long days accomplishing our mission, it seemed that Debbie was always the first to arrive and the last to leave.
While she advocated for her direct and indirect reports to be granted work from home opportunities to the benefit of their work-life balance and wellÂbeing through a pandemic that taxed us all, Debbie has been on-site and available at the start of the day, and at the end, every day. For nearly a year, this is how Debbie worked, supporting everyone else around her, lifting us up when we were tired, or frustrated, or just sad and maybe felt like we couldn't do it one more day.
And then this January, there was something else that needed to be done. We needed to start vaccinating children. Although l feel assured Debbie did not require further job duties, with her compassion that seems limitless, she embraced this mission and quickly became the "Vaccine Queen." Though Debbie seemed always present at our SZ clinks she oversees, somehow, she also used her skill in forming fast, strong connections to effectively support, train, and then resource staff at UMC, THEARC and PG ROC on her newly acquired expertise in COVID vaccine administration. Throughout this new project, Debbie has persisted in her dedication to our staff and families. There are many days that I have gone to the vaccine clinic in the early hours of the evening to let Debbie know I'm headed out for the day to find her, chipper and cheery, scouring the units, the ED, maybe even Michigan Avenue to find arms for the last unused COVID vaccines. She is never disgruntled, she is never resentful, she just does what needs to be done to take the very best care of our patients, our staff, and our community, no matter how long it makes her day. She is a role model to us all.
With the extreme stress of getting through each day of a pandemic, it would have been easy to lose sight of the primary mission of compassionate care for our pediatric patients. That didn't happen in our organization due to the exemplary leadership Debbie provided. I do not understand how she is always available to answer her phone, always available to listen to my problems even though, with the work she's taken on, I am certain they are often trivial. Her emphasis on the foundational need for a trusting and cooperative work environment assures that not only her staff, but all our patients, are actively committed to each other and each other's care. Her ability to support me has given me the energy to support the staff reporting to me, and them the energy to continue caring for our patients. It is absolutely a cascading effect, and I can count on every interaction with her to inspire, to rejuvenate, to remind me why we're here, and to show me how to do better.
While Debbie is our leader at SZ, she is also a leader in our organization. She has demonstrated her commitment to exemplary care for all our patients, and we could not be more grateful. Debbie eloquently represents the essence of the nursing professional practice in her approach to programs and care. She exemplifies and models compassion and commitment. I have watched her sit with frightened teenagers and young adults, using her own story to combat COVID vaccine hesitancy, side effects, and fear of needles to help move them forward with getting their vaccines or to go think about it and return if they are interested. The respect and compassion she demonstrates throughout this sensitive process is such a beautiful attribute to have.
Debbie's sense of understanding, empathy, and compassion while offering education and choice is quite remarkable to watch. She is the first to go to the car-side to vaccinate the patient with cerebral palsy or a diagnosis of autism, providing extraordinary care and a breath of relief for our families that have identified the mere act of getting a vaccination as a stressor. Throughout this time, Debbie has supported staff with family loss, family stress, welcoming new leaders, and somehow remaining positive, supportive, and a steady force for us all. Roseline Debbie Vaaltyn is the leader we needed during a pandemic and the leader that supports our success and growth in more normal times.
While she advocated for her direct and indirect reports to be granted work from home opportunities to the benefit of their work-life balance and wellÂbeing through a pandemic that taxed us all, Debbie has been on-site and available at the start of the day, and at the end, every day. For nearly a year, this is how Debbie worked, supporting everyone else around her, lifting us up when we were tired, or frustrated, or just sad and maybe felt like we couldn't do it one more day.
And then this January, there was something else that needed to be done. We needed to start vaccinating children. Although l feel assured Debbie did not require further job duties, with her compassion that seems limitless, she embraced this mission and quickly became the "Vaccine Queen." Though Debbie seemed always present at our SZ clinks she oversees, somehow, she also used her skill in forming fast, strong connections to effectively support, train, and then resource staff at UMC, THEARC and PG ROC on her newly acquired expertise in COVID vaccine administration. Throughout this new project, Debbie has persisted in her dedication to our staff and families. There are many days that I have gone to the vaccine clinic in the early hours of the evening to let Debbie know I'm headed out for the day to find her, chipper and cheery, scouring the units, the ED, maybe even Michigan Avenue to find arms for the last unused COVID vaccines. She is never disgruntled, she is never resentful, she just does what needs to be done to take the very best care of our patients, our staff, and our community, no matter how long it makes her day. She is a role model to us all.
With the extreme stress of getting through each day of a pandemic, it would have been easy to lose sight of the primary mission of compassionate care for our pediatric patients. That didn't happen in our organization due to the exemplary leadership Debbie provided. I do not understand how she is always available to answer her phone, always available to listen to my problems even though, with the work she's taken on, I am certain they are often trivial. Her emphasis on the foundational need for a trusting and cooperative work environment assures that not only her staff, but all our patients, are actively committed to each other and each other's care. Her ability to support me has given me the energy to support the staff reporting to me, and them the energy to continue caring for our patients. It is absolutely a cascading effect, and I can count on every interaction with her to inspire, to rejuvenate, to remind me why we're here, and to show me how to do better.
While Debbie is our leader at SZ, she is also a leader in our organization. She has demonstrated her commitment to exemplary care for all our patients, and we could not be more grateful. Debbie eloquently represents the essence of the nursing professional practice in her approach to programs and care. She exemplifies and models compassion and commitment. I have watched her sit with frightened teenagers and young adults, using her own story to combat COVID vaccine hesitancy, side effects, and fear of needles to help move them forward with getting their vaccines or to go think about it and return if they are interested. The respect and compassion she demonstrates throughout this sensitive process is such a beautiful attribute to have.
Debbie's sense of understanding, empathy, and compassion while offering education and choice is quite remarkable to watch. She is the first to go to the car-side to vaccinate the patient with cerebral palsy or a diagnosis of autism, providing extraordinary care and a breath of relief for our families that have identified the mere act of getting a vaccination as a stressor. Throughout this time, Debbie has supported staff with family loss, family stress, welcoming new leaders, and somehow remaining positive, supportive, and a steady force for us all. Roseline Debbie Vaaltyn is the leader we needed during a pandemic and the leader that supports our success and growth in more normal times.