Shelby Pollert
May 2024
Shelby
Pollert
,
MSN, RN, TCRN, CEN
8 West Trauma ICU
UofL Health- UofL Hospital
Louisville
,
KY
United States
She truly does provide that haven of safety for her staff. You feel advocated for, celebrated for what you bring to the team, and challenged to reach your full potential. If you asked her, she would say her cup is filled up when her team members are working towards their goals. That is not just something she says, she is absolutely pumped and celebrates when her teammates have a win.
I have been a nurse for quite a while and found myself feeling the burnout that unfortunately can come with working in high acuity and in patient populations with a high emotional toll on the bedside staff. I felt ready to leave the bedside, I felt that I had spent my time there and had maxed out what I could give to it and what it could give to me. I had pride in what I had done, but the environment at the time was low morale, poor staffing, and less experienced nurses. Shelby took the time to sit one on one with me, and listen to my experience, and draw out desires I had for my profession and encouraged me to go for them. Shelby supported me and then, kept me accountable, by checking in and challenging me on the things I had shared with her I hoped to do. Because of Shelby's persistence in my personal development, I scheduled my TCRN, utilized U of L resources to prepare for my exam, and passed to become doubly certified. Then she pressed in and supported me to help me reach professional goals that I wouldn't have gone for myself. She encouraged me to start a Unit Based Council that had her full support, she encouraged me as I started working with the new graduate nurses on our unit to onboard them better, and she has encouraged me as I work through professional challenges such as learning to lead, have crucial conversations, and be a quality teammate. All of this has cured me of my season of burnout and desire to walk away... instead, I want to press in and keep going. That is MUCH influenced by Shelby! At the same time, I have felt both challenged by Shelby and supported, which is a hard balance to strike, but she does it really well. She is skilled at pushing you to be better while making you feel so supported at the same time.
Having Shelby in your corner as your leader is the best feeling. She truly does provide that haven of safety for her staff. You feel advocated for, celebrated for what you bring to the team, and challenged to reach your full potential. If you asked her, she would say her cup is filled up when her team members are working towards their goals. That is not just something she says, she is absolutely pumped and celebrates when her teammates have a win. And it is not just a win that benefits her- if you are growing professionally or personally in a way that excites you, Shelby will be your biggest cheerleader supporting you along the way. She also works to get your wins celebrated publicly, she often nominates her employees for awards and ensures they are recognized for the work that they do. Sometimes, she makes us realize that the work we do IS worth the recognition.
Shelby ensures standards of quality patient care are maintained, and she has enough influence among her team to get buy-in from us to adopt the organization's goals. I think she is a great liaison who helps us feel supported while also preparing us to adopt new standards. One example of this is SEM scanning. When SEM scanning was first introduced, it was met with quite a bit of resistance from the staff. Shelby's unit was one of the first to become a leader in compliance with SEM scanning, and it has all to do with Shelby making both of us feel heard and communicating to us the importance of doing so. That is a minor example among many of what makes her deserving of the DAISY Nurse Leader Award.
***
Shelby Pollert is the definition of a servant leader when it comes to working at the University of Louisville Hospital. Over the past couple of years, Shelby has helped create an environment on 8 W in which everyone feels welcomed and involved. She dedicates her time to helping spread knowledge to her staff, patients, and the entire organization. Each day she comes onto the unit, takes time specifically to check in on each one of the nurses that are working. During her rounds, her famous saying is, “What can I do for you today?” Shelby ensures that each person is ok and if there is any kind of assistance that they need from a conversation for themselves or to help with a patient or family. She is always putting the needs of others before herself. Shelby makes herself available day/night for all team members to reach out to her if any clinical questions need to be answered, but she also sets professional expectations on boundaries and utilizing resources in-house. When Shelby is providing education to the team members, she creates a stress-free, nonjudgmental environment where people feel comfortable and excited to learn.
She has a wonderful skill of focusing on the learning needs and styles of her team and can mold her teaching style and has a dedication to staff professional development. Each year she talks with each of her staff about where their growth is and how she can help them achieve that goal and how to get there.
Not only is Shelby a leader to 8West but also to her team of the critical care managers. She has taken on many of the vacancies of unit leaders and provided a solid foundation for those units. She has helped onboard many of the newest critical care and mixed acuity managers and many of us see her as a mentor. Shelby has a wealth of knowledge and always wants to help managers like her staff professionally develop. She felt so passionate about nurse leaders that she created a nurse leader council for nurse leaders to come together to help each other. I see this as one of her biggest accomplishments this year. The goal for this council this year was to help create a decrease in nurse leader turnover. This showcases the servant leader in Shelby helping other leaders with daily struggles. From this she is working on nurse leader onboarding and resources to help nurse leaders be set up for success. Shelby is a nurse leader for the entire organization and empowers others. Shelby’s actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, which makes you an excellent leader.
***
I fell in love with Shelby and her leadership style upon meeting her for the first time. I was a traveler, who is now prn staff, and she is by far the best leader. When I met her for the first time, she was helping her staff answer call lights, page physicians, and help where help was needed. I’ve always thought a good leader leads by example, and that’s what Shelby does. I could write a novel about how great she is, honestly.
Shelby is always available to staff for anything. I was having a particularly bad night- a series of small events piled up and I felt that I couldn't do anything right at work. I asked Shelby to talk the next morning, but when she found out I wasn't OK, she took the time that night to talk to me, work through my concerns, and reassure me. Coming back to the bedside as an older and experienced nurse has been more challenging than I expected, but she has been there every step of the way to educate, coach, and encourage me. Her leadership and the changes she has brought about were the driving force in my return to bedside in the first place. I would not be back home where I belong if it wasn't for her.
Having Shelby in your corner as your leader is the best feeling. She truly does provide that haven of safety for her staff. You feel advocated for, celebrated for what you bring to the team, and challenged to reach your full potential. If you asked her, she would say her cup is filled up when her team members are working towards their goals. That is not just something she says, she is absolutely pumped and celebrates when her teammates have a win. And it is not just a win that benefits her- if you are growing professionally or personally in a way that excites you, Shelby will be your biggest cheerleader supporting you along the way. She also works to get your wins celebrated publicly, she often nominates her employees for awards and ensures they are recognized for the work that they do. Sometimes, she makes us realize that the work we do IS worth the recognition.
Shelby ensures standards of quality patient care are maintained, and she has enough influence among her team to get buy-in from us to adopt the organization's goals. I think she is a great liaison who helps us feel supported while also preparing us to adopt new standards. One example of this is SEM scanning. When SEM scanning was first introduced, it was met with quite a bit of resistance from the staff. Shelby's unit was one of the first to become a leader in compliance with SEM scanning, and it has all to do with Shelby making both of us feel heard and communicating to us the importance of doing so. That is a minor example among many of what makes her deserving of the DAISY Nurse Leader Award.
***
Shelby Pollert is the definition of a servant leader when it comes to working at the University of Louisville Hospital. Over the past couple of years, Shelby has helped create an environment on 8 W in which everyone feels welcomed and involved. She dedicates her time to helping spread knowledge to her staff, patients, and the entire organization. Each day she comes onto the unit, takes time specifically to check in on each one of the nurses that are working. During her rounds, her famous saying is, “What can I do for you today?” Shelby ensures that each person is ok and if there is any kind of assistance that they need from a conversation for themselves or to help with a patient or family. She is always putting the needs of others before herself. Shelby makes herself available day/night for all team members to reach out to her if any clinical questions need to be answered, but she also sets professional expectations on boundaries and utilizing resources in-house. When Shelby is providing education to the team members, she creates a stress-free, nonjudgmental environment where people feel comfortable and excited to learn.
She has a wonderful skill of focusing on the learning needs and styles of her team and can mold her teaching style and has a dedication to staff professional development. Each year she talks with each of her staff about where their growth is and how she can help them achieve that goal and how to get there.
Not only is Shelby a leader to 8West but also to her team of the critical care managers. She has taken on many of the vacancies of unit leaders and provided a solid foundation for those units. She has helped onboard many of the newest critical care and mixed acuity managers and many of us see her as a mentor. Shelby has a wealth of knowledge and always wants to help managers like her staff professionally develop. She felt so passionate about nurse leaders that she created a nurse leader council for nurse leaders to come together to help each other. I see this as one of her biggest accomplishments this year. The goal for this council this year was to help create a decrease in nurse leader turnover. This showcases the servant leader in Shelby helping other leaders with daily struggles. From this she is working on nurse leader onboarding and resources to help nurse leaders be set up for success. Shelby is a nurse leader for the entire organization and empowers others. Shelby’s actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, which makes you an excellent leader.
***
I fell in love with Shelby and her leadership style upon meeting her for the first time. I was a traveler, who is now prn staff, and she is by far the best leader. When I met her for the first time, she was helping her staff answer call lights, page physicians, and help where help was needed. I’ve always thought a good leader leads by example, and that’s what Shelby does. I could write a novel about how great she is, honestly.
Shelby is always available to staff for anything. I was having a particularly bad night- a series of small events piled up and I felt that I couldn't do anything right at work. I asked Shelby to talk the next morning, but when she found out I wasn't OK, she took the time that night to talk to me, work through my concerns, and reassure me. Coming back to the bedside as an older and experienced nurse has been more challenging than I expected, but she has been there every step of the way to educate, coach, and encourage me. Her leadership and the changes she has brought about were the driving force in my return to bedside in the first place. I would not be back home where I belong if it wasn't for her.