Melissa Hethcox
November 2018
Melissa
Hethcox
,
RN, BSN, MSM, IBCLC
Women's and Children's Unit
Henry Community Health
New Castle
,
IN
United States
Melissa is one of the most extraordinary people/nurses I have ever met. She puts everyone's needs before her own and does so with a smile on her face. Deciding on just one story/reason to nominate Melissa would be impossible so I am going to share a few.
Melissa as the "Lactation Counselor":
One day I came to work and Melissa said, "I need to tell you something and I hope what I did was okay". Melissa calls each of our breastfeeding mom's on day 1 and 3 following discharge to make sure everything is going okay. On this particular day, Melissa called and found an exhausted upset mother on the line with a baby she couldn't get latched. The mom's milk had come in full force and she was engorged. Melissa began providing advice and telling the mom she needed to pump some so the baby could get latched. This particular mom did not have a pump, so Melissa called WIC to find out if they had one she could borrow. It turns out they did have a loaner pump available, so Melissa called the mom back and told her she could pick one up from the WIC office that day. The mom was very appreciative of Melissa's efforts but went on to tell Melissa she did not have transportation to get to the WIC office. Melissa took down the mom's address and off to WIC she went. Melissa picked up the pump and then drove it to the mom's home. The mom was very thankful and was able to successfully breastfeed her baby.
Melissa comes in on her days off if she knows there is a patient struggling with breastfeeding who would benefit from seeing her. She freely gives out her email address to patients and she communicates with them from home if that is what they need to be successful. Although Melissa's family is precious to her she takes time away from them to come back to the hospital in the evening to meet with patients who cannot come in during the day.
Melissa the "Smoking Cessation Educator":
Melissa agreed a few years ago to go to the American Lung Association "Smoking Cessation" training to become certified in teaching Smoking Cessation. The idea was for her to teach classes geared toward pregnant women. It turns out there are not a lot of pregnant women who want to go to the Smoking Cessation class, so Melissa reached out to smokers she knew personally and formed the first class. Although there were others who received the same training as Melissa, she became the lead educator and is now the only educator currently teaching. In an attempt to reach as many people as possible, Melissa has had some classes at the hospital, some off-site, some during the day, and some in the evenings. If she gets a special request for a specific time or day of the week she will schedule the classes per request. Melissa gives her cell phone number to her students and allows them to text her when they need encouragement or have questions.
Melissa the "WCU Clinical Care Coordinator":
As the director of the Women & Children's Unit, I am ultimately responsible to cover the unit 24 hours a day/7days a week. This means if someone calls in for a shift and coverage is not available, I have to come in and work those hours. Without fail, Melissa contacts me and says what hours do you need me to help you cover. I know she does not want to come in on her day off any more than I do, but she always offers and never complains.
Melissa challenges me to be a good leader. When I am frustrated and am having difficulty seeing any point of view other than my own, she is the voice of reason that helps me make good decisions. I can't tell you how many times she has talked me off the ledge and prevented me from doing something I would regret.
Melissa is better at reading people than I am, so if she sees someone struggling, she will come to me and say, "hey I think you should reach out to so and so because I think they are struggling". This allows me to reach out to that team member and provide the support necessary for their success.
Melissa struggles with any type of personal recognition, she always tries to find a way to share the recognition with her WCU team. It is time for Melissa to be recognized for being an extraordinary person and nurse.
Melissa as the "Lactation Counselor":
One day I came to work and Melissa said, "I need to tell you something and I hope what I did was okay". Melissa calls each of our breastfeeding mom's on day 1 and 3 following discharge to make sure everything is going okay. On this particular day, Melissa called and found an exhausted upset mother on the line with a baby she couldn't get latched. The mom's milk had come in full force and she was engorged. Melissa began providing advice and telling the mom she needed to pump some so the baby could get latched. This particular mom did not have a pump, so Melissa called WIC to find out if they had one she could borrow. It turns out they did have a loaner pump available, so Melissa called the mom back and told her she could pick one up from the WIC office that day. The mom was very appreciative of Melissa's efforts but went on to tell Melissa she did not have transportation to get to the WIC office. Melissa took down the mom's address and off to WIC she went. Melissa picked up the pump and then drove it to the mom's home. The mom was very thankful and was able to successfully breastfeed her baby.
Melissa comes in on her days off if she knows there is a patient struggling with breastfeeding who would benefit from seeing her. She freely gives out her email address to patients and she communicates with them from home if that is what they need to be successful. Although Melissa's family is precious to her she takes time away from them to come back to the hospital in the evening to meet with patients who cannot come in during the day.
Melissa the "Smoking Cessation Educator":
Melissa agreed a few years ago to go to the American Lung Association "Smoking Cessation" training to become certified in teaching Smoking Cessation. The idea was for her to teach classes geared toward pregnant women. It turns out there are not a lot of pregnant women who want to go to the Smoking Cessation class, so Melissa reached out to smokers she knew personally and formed the first class. Although there were others who received the same training as Melissa, she became the lead educator and is now the only educator currently teaching. In an attempt to reach as many people as possible, Melissa has had some classes at the hospital, some off-site, some during the day, and some in the evenings. If she gets a special request for a specific time or day of the week she will schedule the classes per request. Melissa gives her cell phone number to her students and allows them to text her when they need encouragement or have questions.
Melissa the "WCU Clinical Care Coordinator":
As the director of the Women & Children's Unit, I am ultimately responsible to cover the unit 24 hours a day/7days a week. This means if someone calls in for a shift and coverage is not available, I have to come in and work those hours. Without fail, Melissa contacts me and says what hours do you need me to help you cover. I know she does not want to come in on her day off any more than I do, but she always offers and never complains.
Melissa challenges me to be a good leader. When I am frustrated and am having difficulty seeing any point of view other than my own, she is the voice of reason that helps me make good decisions. I can't tell you how many times she has talked me off the ledge and prevented me from doing something I would regret.
Melissa is better at reading people than I am, so if she sees someone struggling, she will come to me and say, "hey I think you should reach out to so and so because I think they are struggling". This allows me to reach out to that team member and provide the support necessary for their success.
Melissa struggles with any type of personal recognition, she always tries to find a way to share the recognition with her WCU team. It is time for Melissa to be recognized for being an extraordinary person and nurse.