When I sat down to write this recommendation I started to laugh because the rubric- the bullet points entitled "a Nominee should:" exactly describe who Anne is and what she does- perfectly. Anne Winkler, MA, RN, CCRN, NE-BC is a true DAISY Nurse Leader.
Anne leads by example when it comes to role modeling behaviors that foster care, compassion, and exemplary practice. She jumps into rooms without hesitation to provide care or assist staff in any task- no matter how mundane or unpleasant. She would never walk past a room where it is obvious that an extra pair of hands are needed. When it comes to compassionate care, Anne again leads by example, going out of her way to establish a bond with every patient and their family members, ensuring they feel cared for and special. On rounds, Anne is able to inform the rest of the team of the intricate details of the patient's family connections and relationships, and any of their concerns.
When it comes to the creation of an environment where trust, compassion, mutual respect, professional development, and ethical behavior are modeled and supported- one need not go any further than the ICU Interdisciplinary Rounds and our ABCDEF Bundle- and how instrumental Anne was, and is, in creating and maintaining both programs. If it were not for Anne, we could never have successfully launched our IDR's. Her leadership and efforts to gain stakeholder buy-in, the creation of our scripts, and the sense that we are supporting each other, are easy to overlook. Anne made it look easy, and her continual efforts at maintaining those levels of professional interactions are usually taken for granted. Anne's latest success in motivating staff with a shared vision and enthusiasm can be seen in her efforts to launch and continually improve our ABCDEF bundle. Getting veteran critical care nurses who were trained to keep intubated patients as sedated as possible to a point where we walk patients down the hallway while they are attached to ventilators, is again, another impressive feat of leadership, maintenance of enthusiasm, and a desire to achieve better outcomes for patients. Anne's latest endeavor- doing a study on family satisfaction by introducing an ICU Diary and Family Rounds, is yet another example of motivating staff, keeping them engaged, and focusing on compassionate care and improved outcomes.
In my opinion, Anne's greatest strength as a Leader- is in her mentorship and support of her staff. Anne is constantly working with the ICU nurses in pursuing greater academic and professional achievements. She spends a great deal of time partnering with them, showing them, pushing them, and supporting them as they climb the nursing ladder, pursuing roles on various councils, extending their roles into education, or pursuing higher degrees such as NP or CRNA. It should come as no surprise that the NWH ICU leads the Northwell Health System in nursing satisfaction. An extremely telling sign of inspiring leadership is seen by how many talented nurses leave other departments to come to work in the ICU. This is not because the ICU is the most fun place to work or the easiest place to work. It is because Anne is truly an amazing Leader.
I don't believe there is anything more impactful Anne could do to promote and enhance the image of nursing within NWH, the community, and the profession than the NWH ICU achieving the designation of Gold-Level Recipient of the American Academy of Critical Care Nursing's Beacon Award for Excellence- during Nurses Week none the less! The Beacon Award recognizes top hospital units that meet standards of excellence in recruitment and retention; education, training, and mentorship; research and evidence-based practice; patient outcomes; leadership and organizational ethics; and the creation of a healthy work environment. Anne's leadership, commitment to her nurses and the larger ICU team, and our patients and their families is manifest in the ICU winning the Gold Level Beacon Award.
However, if you really need to sum up why Anne Winkler is a DAISY Nurse Leader, you do not need to do anything other than consider her actions during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prior to even getting our first patient, Anne partnered with nursing education and the rehabilitation department to educate and train the nurses and rehab team to prone patients. Anne tirelessly juggled the responsibilities of staffing, support, training, bed management, speaking with families, managing patients, helping educate non-ICU trained nurses, and making sure their assignments were appropriate. Anne welcomed all the non-Critical Care nurses with open arms, making sure they felt supported, felt a part of the team, and felt safe. She made sure that all the nurses were treated equally- there was no 'us and them' mentality. Anne went out of her way to make sure all of the nurses were emotionally supported, and she vigilantly monitored everyone in order to help with the emotional trauma we all suffered. Anne did not just focus on the nurses. She supported and helped all the ancillary staff that were instrumental in the care of our patients- the rehabilitation department, the radiology department, the respiratory department, the nutrition department, the wound care team, and environmental services, to name a few. Anne made sure everyone felt welcome, supported, and engaged with each other. And if you ask anyone that worked in the ICU/Transitional ICU during that period, they will all tell you how safe, supported, and welcome they were, and that was because of Anne Winkler.