Vickie Caldwell
September 2023
Vickie
Caldwell
,
RN, MSN
Public Health, Infection Prevention, Employee Health
U.S. Public Health Service: Wewoka Indian Health Center
Wewoka
,
OK
United States
She is a positive example for the staff, always professional, sympathetic, empathetic, unbiased, and supportive of her staff.
CAPT Vickie Caldwell is nominated for the PHS DAISY Nurse Leader Award. She has served as the Chief Nurse Executive (CNE) at the Wewoka Indian Health Clinic for the past two years and manages four departments: Nursing, Public Health Nursing (PHN), Infection Prevention (IP), and Employee Health (EH). These departments are staffed by 12 RNs, 9 LPNs, and 2 MSAs (including 4 Commissioned Officers).
Background: CAPT Caldwell assumed the CNE position in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and has steadily been making improvements in the departments she manages. These innovative changes and improvements have resulted in increased access to care, improved patient flow, increased GPRA measures, positive feedback from staff, decreased no-show rates, increased preventive health care for the population served, and increased staff productivity. She is a positive example for the staff, always professional, sympathetic, empathetic, unbiased, and supportive of her staff. Prior to CAPT Caldwell's leadership, the staff lacked the confidence to make decisions within their scope of practice. She has demonstrated confidence in them, ensuring they are competent, well-trained, confident, and free to perform at the top of their individual licensure. This culture change has resulted in increased morale, independent decision-making, and increased productivity, thus affecting the quality of care provided to the patients.
Some of the accomplishments that warrant her recognition for the Superior Management Award include: (1) presentation of staffing proposals approved by the CEO resulting in 4 additional FTEs (2) initiation of a work-space redesign that provided a work positive environment for the Care Managers resulting is reduction in noise and interruptions and well as increased productivity. (3) served as PI Champion for facility No-Show Project. (4) Motivated nursing staff to increase influenza vaccines given at clinic visits by sponsoring a competition for giving the most influenza vaccines in a month’s period. (5) identified staff “champions” to increase screening rates for mammography, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, and diabetic foot exams, and increase immunization rates (6) reassigned the Vaccines for Children program to the Public Health Nurse department to facilitate more involvement in Patient-Centered Medical Home from the clinic staff. (7) the following GPRA measures increased during the 2022 GPRA year under CAPT Caldwell’s leadership: Cervical (Pap) Screen, Mammogram Screen, Alcohol Screen, IPV/DV Screen, Depression Screen (12-17), Depression Screen (18+), HIV Screen, and Adult Composite Immunization Screen. (8) recruited and hired a PHN Supervisor to lead the PHN Department. This has resulted in increased activities in the community, such as health fairs, collaboration with various departments at the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma tribal complex, increased immunization fairs, and education at the local schools and tribal departments. This additional leadership in the PHN department has led to new community partnerships such as the Seminole Junior College student association, where they educate about STIs, PrEP, distribute condoms, and provide for HIV testing, and (9) serves as the IP and EH nurse as needed to ensure continuity of services for the staff and facility.
CAPT Caldwell’s leadership includes serving as a mentor for four commissioned Officers in her departments as well as officers throughout the facility. She communicates well and collaborates efficiently interdepartmentally. Her staff is kept abreast of facility priorities, most recent evidence-based practice guidelines, and ever-changing COVID-19 vaccine and treatment guidelines.
Conclusion: CAPT Vickie Caldwell is proudly nominated for the PHS DAISY Nurse Leader Award for her dedicated service at the Wewoka Indian Health Clinic that is focused on leading by example and building a strong and confident staff.
Background: CAPT Caldwell assumed the CNE position in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and has steadily been making improvements in the departments she manages. These innovative changes and improvements have resulted in increased access to care, improved patient flow, increased GPRA measures, positive feedback from staff, decreased no-show rates, increased preventive health care for the population served, and increased staff productivity. She is a positive example for the staff, always professional, sympathetic, empathetic, unbiased, and supportive of her staff. Prior to CAPT Caldwell's leadership, the staff lacked the confidence to make decisions within their scope of practice. She has demonstrated confidence in them, ensuring they are competent, well-trained, confident, and free to perform at the top of their individual licensure. This culture change has resulted in increased morale, independent decision-making, and increased productivity, thus affecting the quality of care provided to the patients.
Some of the accomplishments that warrant her recognition for the Superior Management Award include: (1) presentation of staffing proposals approved by the CEO resulting in 4 additional FTEs (2) initiation of a work-space redesign that provided a work positive environment for the Care Managers resulting is reduction in noise and interruptions and well as increased productivity. (3) served as PI Champion for facility No-Show Project. (4) Motivated nursing staff to increase influenza vaccines given at clinic visits by sponsoring a competition for giving the most influenza vaccines in a month’s period. (5) identified staff “champions” to increase screening rates for mammography, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, and diabetic foot exams, and increase immunization rates (6) reassigned the Vaccines for Children program to the Public Health Nurse department to facilitate more involvement in Patient-Centered Medical Home from the clinic staff. (7) the following GPRA measures increased during the 2022 GPRA year under CAPT Caldwell’s leadership: Cervical (Pap) Screen, Mammogram Screen, Alcohol Screen, IPV/DV Screen, Depression Screen (12-17), Depression Screen (18+), HIV Screen, and Adult Composite Immunization Screen. (8) recruited and hired a PHN Supervisor to lead the PHN Department. This has resulted in increased activities in the community, such as health fairs, collaboration with various departments at the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma tribal complex, increased immunization fairs, and education at the local schools and tribal departments. This additional leadership in the PHN department has led to new community partnerships such as the Seminole Junior College student association, where they educate about STIs, PrEP, distribute condoms, and provide for HIV testing, and (9) serves as the IP and EH nurse as needed to ensure continuity of services for the staff and facility.
CAPT Caldwell’s leadership includes serving as a mentor for four commissioned Officers in her departments as well as officers throughout the facility. She communicates well and collaborates efficiently interdepartmentally. Her staff is kept abreast of facility priorities, most recent evidence-based practice guidelines, and ever-changing COVID-19 vaccine and treatment guidelines.
Conclusion: CAPT Vickie Caldwell is proudly nominated for the PHS DAISY Nurse Leader Award for her dedicated service at the Wewoka Indian Health Clinic that is focused on leading by example and building a strong and confident staff.