Shannon Cusick
May 2022
Shannon
Cusick
,
MSN, RN, CV-BC
8W - Heart Lung Vascular Institute
The University of Tennessee Medical Center
Knoxville
,
TN
United States
Shannon has also become a mentor to several new leaders in the organization. Her peers often reach out to her for advice, and she provides the support needed to help them work through any challenge.
Shannon Cusick has been recognized by team members on both 8W and 9W for her impacts on their life, the units, and the patients they serve. As outlined below, Shannon meets all the criteria of role modeling, motivating, engaging, and creating a healthy work environment for those she leads.
Role modeling extraordinary behavior: Shannon Cusick continually exemplifies the most important component of nursing: compassion. This was most recently illustrated by an employee who was pregnant and diagnosed with breast cancer. As a new mother-to-be, this should have been an exciting time in her life, but the cancer diagnosis shadowed this time with doubt and uncertainty. Shannon showed compassion and concern for the employee by facilitating innovative ways for staff to show support through multiple care baskets, financial assistance from the UTH physicians, and encouraged the #YouCanDoHardThings movement through bracelet and t-shirt purchases. This is one example of how Shannon has shown leadership among her team to help other team members show compassion and support for fellow team members in crisis. She also brought in licensed therapists for innovative ways to combat mental health disparities for employees during the pandemic.
Creating an environment where attributes of trust, compassion, mutual respect, continued professional development, and ethical behavior are modeled and supported: Shannon Cusick not only talks the talk, but she also walks the walk. She promotes professional development by modeling her own professional growth, such as participating in the AONL fellowship and acquiring professional certification. She embodies the values and essence of Magnet and builds the expectation of excellence in the culture of her teams.
Motivating team members with a shared vision and enthusiasm to achieve better outcomes for themselves and for their patients: Shannon Cusick created an environment of enthusiasm during the unprecedented times of a pandemic. She delivered the news of 8 West, the Pulmonary Medicine Unit, transitioning to the first COVID team at UTMC in such a way that created cohesion and trust that we were a part of history in the making. Through her leadership and lead by example attitude, her team took the challenge with an unexpected excitement to turn fear into excellence.
Promoting and enhancing the image of nursing within the organization, the community, and the profession: Shannon was chosen to be a part of WBIR’s Health Care Heroes at Neyland Stadium recognition and invited to be the Grand Marshall of the 2021 Knoxville Christmas Parade. She participated in multiple interviews on COVD-19 for TV and local news outlets and helped design and dedicate a piece of artwork to honor UTMC’s healthcare heroes. She frequently visits college campuses to recruit and encourage students.
Demonstrates the values of UTMC: Shannon Cusick is the epitome of the core values and mission of UT Medical Center and is a deserving candidate for this award.
Comments from her VP: I have worked with Shannon for the past eight years and have seen her grow from her role as a staff nurse on 4 West to her role as a nurse manager. Shannon displays extraordinary behavior as a nurse leader. She has repeatedly asked for professional growth opportunities. She enjoys the challenge of taking on difficult situations or departments in transition. She raises her hand for just about every opportunity to be part of an initiative or project. When engaging with departments or units in transition Shannon consistently and frequently engages with every team member on the team. She encourages the team to rise above their challenges. Her most recent work has been with the 8 West team when they became the primary COVID acute care unit. She helped the team see the benefit and value of being the first team to be a COVID unit. She shared the team's learning with her peers and she was at the side of many of the nurses as they learned how to deal with this patient population.
In 2021, she took over the leadership of the Central Monitoring Unit (CMU). This was a new learning opportunity for Shannon and she embraced the task of stabilizing that department and getting the staff engaged as a team. Finally, Shannon has willingly stepped into the interim nurse manager role on 9 West and has begun to stabilize that unit. There are many positive comments coming directly from the team members who will talk openly about Shannon's positive leadership style and approach. She is truly a nurse leader who understands the importance of engaging with team members and leading them to be the best they can be as a unit. She has excellent communication skills, thinks outside the box, and believes there is always a solution.
Comments from her Director: I have worked with Shannon as a peer and as her direct manager. I have seen her grow over the past several years through participating in various projects and taking on more responsibilities. She is a motivating force for those she manages directly. Shannon has also become a mentor to several new leaders in the organization. Her peers often reach out to her for advice, and she provides the support needed to help them work through any challenge. Shannon is a true transformational leader.
Role modeling extraordinary behavior: Shannon Cusick continually exemplifies the most important component of nursing: compassion. This was most recently illustrated by an employee who was pregnant and diagnosed with breast cancer. As a new mother-to-be, this should have been an exciting time in her life, but the cancer diagnosis shadowed this time with doubt and uncertainty. Shannon showed compassion and concern for the employee by facilitating innovative ways for staff to show support through multiple care baskets, financial assistance from the UTH physicians, and encouraged the #YouCanDoHardThings movement through bracelet and t-shirt purchases. This is one example of how Shannon has shown leadership among her team to help other team members show compassion and support for fellow team members in crisis. She also brought in licensed therapists for innovative ways to combat mental health disparities for employees during the pandemic.
Creating an environment where attributes of trust, compassion, mutual respect, continued professional development, and ethical behavior are modeled and supported: Shannon Cusick not only talks the talk, but she also walks the walk. She promotes professional development by modeling her own professional growth, such as participating in the AONL fellowship and acquiring professional certification. She embodies the values and essence of Magnet and builds the expectation of excellence in the culture of her teams.
Motivating team members with a shared vision and enthusiasm to achieve better outcomes for themselves and for their patients: Shannon Cusick created an environment of enthusiasm during the unprecedented times of a pandemic. She delivered the news of 8 West, the Pulmonary Medicine Unit, transitioning to the first COVID team at UTMC in such a way that created cohesion and trust that we were a part of history in the making. Through her leadership and lead by example attitude, her team took the challenge with an unexpected excitement to turn fear into excellence.
Promoting and enhancing the image of nursing within the organization, the community, and the profession: Shannon was chosen to be a part of WBIR’s Health Care Heroes at Neyland Stadium recognition and invited to be the Grand Marshall of the 2021 Knoxville Christmas Parade. She participated in multiple interviews on COVD-19 for TV and local news outlets and helped design and dedicate a piece of artwork to honor UTMC’s healthcare heroes. She frequently visits college campuses to recruit and encourage students.
Demonstrates the values of UTMC: Shannon Cusick is the epitome of the core values and mission of UT Medical Center and is a deserving candidate for this award.
Comments from her VP: I have worked with Shannon for the past eight years and have seen her grow from her role as a staff nurse on 4 West to her role as a nurse manager. Shannon displays extraordinary behavior as a nurse leader. She has repeatedly asked for professional growth opportunities. She enjoys the challenge of taking on difficult situations or departments in transition. She raises her hand for just about every opportunity to be part of an initiative or project. When engaging with departments or units in transition Shannon consistently and frequently engages with every team member on the team. She encourages the team to rise above their challenges. Her most recent work has been with the 8 West team when they became the primary COVID acute care unit. She helped the team see the benefit and value of being the first team to be a COVID unit. She shared the team's learning with her peers and she was at the side of many of the nurses as they learned how to deal with this patient population.
In 2021, she took over the leadership of the Central Monitoring Unit (CMU). This was a new learning opportunity for Shannon and she embraced the task of stabilizing that department and getting the staff engaged as a team. Finally, Shannon has willingly stepped into the interim nurse manager role on 9 West and has begun to stabilize that unit. There are many positive comments coming directly from the team members who will talk openly about Shannon's positive leadership style and approach. She is truly a nurse leader who understands the importance of engaging with team members and leading them to be the best they can be as a unit. She has excellent communication skills, thinks outside the box, and believes there is always a solution.
Comments from her Director: I have worked with Shannon as a peer and as her direct manager. I have seen her grow over the past several years through participating in various projects and taking on more responsibilities. She is a motivating force for those she manages directly. Shannon has also become a mentor to several new leaders in the organization. Her peers often reach out to her for advice, and she provides the support needed to help them work through any challenge. Shannon is a true transformational leader.