Miss Debbie leads by example. She makes rounds every shift to all three of our departments (3N, Wilmington Psych Crisis, and Christiana Psych Crisis) at two different locations. She makes herself available to staff and calls at the beginning of shift to let staff know at each location her schedule for the evening, her availability and when she is looking to be at each site. She meets with staff regularly to listen to their needs, concerns, and ideas and is an advocate to see them through. For an example, if there is a staffing need that is noticed, she will address it with the nursing manager, address it to those who recognized the need and provide a solution for the problem, if not that evening, usually within 24 hours. On more than one occasion she has placed herself as the second RN (not the charge nurse) when a need arises or if a large caseload for psych crisis cases has presented itself. She will change her assignment, go to the location needed and assist in psychiatric evaluations, medication administration and/or patient care until the dust has settled or until the end of shift, whichever comes first. Miss Debbie always takes the role as second nurse and also takes the time to encourage and mentor staff as she works with them and under them as she guides them through roles of being in charge as the RN. She comes in early to be involved in committees and stays late to ensure the caseload of staff is taken care of.
Miss Debbie is a role model, as demonstrated through her actions and her words. She encourages staff to better themselves. As a new hire, the first thing she ensured I did was to begin working on my RN II portfolio so that when the time arose I would not miss a beat in receiving my RN II. I now pay it forward and am working with a new RN who is working on her RN II and am helping them to have their portfolio ready for when their time arrives. Miss Debbie has encouraged me to complete my nursing mentor training, charge RN training and preceptor training and now I as a fellow nurse work with my counterparts to encourage them to do the same. She follows up with staff to see where they are at with their education, their training, their schooling and their certifications and is a catalyst to encourage training and advancement. She is currently working with several of our RNs to obtain their RN III, continue their education to obtain their BSN and get them established to obtain their certifications in both medical/surgical certifications and psychiatric nursing certification as they meet the criteria. Miss Debbie is not only staff oriented but she is quick to be the advocate for a patient to ensure they receive the appropriate medical care they need. She also ensures that the family is treated as part of the CCHS family and that they also receive care and comfort during the troubled times when their family is in psychiatric crisis. Miss Debbie not only serves for CCHS as an ambassador, she also serves her community as a deacon of her church and helps to meet the spiritual needs as well and the physical and psychiatric needs of those in her community. As a mentor, role model, supervisor and fellow employee, I respect Deborah Ayres-Harding and because of her hard work as a supervisor, I work harder as an RN. She has set a high standard and it is one that can be achieved if you accept the challenge.