January 2020
Olivia
Garner
,
RN
ADC UTMB Health
University of Texas Medical Branch-Angleton Danbury Campus
At no surprise to me when looking for the leader to lead this group, Olivia was the first that came to mind, and again she was the first to say, "I will do it".
There is something to say about a nurse leader that wears many hats, fills whatever gaps that need filling, and steps in to lead even if the situation is not desirable. Olivia Garner is one nurse leader that does all of these things so naturally.
In the year and a half, I have led at the Angleton Danbury Campus Olivia was one person I met over and over again when learning key resources on campus and then soon realized she had many roles for the campus. Her title as a Nursing Program Manager did not do her justice since she served as a nurse educator, infection control, frequent fill-in for nurse manager coverage, and key point person for on-site employee health concerns. It did not take me long to figure out that it was the many years she had worked on the campus that she picked up additional roles along the way, owned them, and truly rocked them!
Almost immediately after starting my role on campus as administrator we had a crucial vacancy for the LDRP unit nurse manager. A unit needing a leader in the midst of change and adaptation to "system approaches" the unit really needed someone to come in and lead and advocate for staff, patients, and the growth of the program. Before I could even brainstorm the best fit, Olivia came to me simply stating, "I will do it". With no prior L&D experience and knowledge of the hardships of the unit, I was so amazed that she offered with such confidence. Never serving as a nurse manager I was left in amazement watching her in staff meetings so gracefully step in and provide exactly what the unit needed- consistency. I saw her go above and beyond learning the key skills of a nurse manager from the daunting tasks of Kronos and People Soft to having crucial conversations and dealing with employee issues which came very naturally. I was really impressed to see that her years of leading on the campus in other capacities aid in the staff immediately trusting her as the interim manager and their respect for her and her willingness to serve in this role was evident.
Olivia helped in the hiring process of the new manager months later and stayed as a mentor and support partner for the new manager well beyond the manager's orientation and even today a year later. Just months after getting the new manager independent on the unit without Olivia's daily support we went through another change on the campus losing the nurse manager of both the medical-surgical and ICU units. Once again, Olivia approached me with the same statement, "I will do it". Again, I watched in awe for months Olivia transition in as interim manager for the entire second floor, implement positive change, change the morale of the unit, and again bring in another very strong manager.
Today I have the honor of seeing all inpatient units thrive and two new managers set up for success transitioning off orientation and leading well beyond expectations. The common factor to contribute to this success is Olivia and her leadership. For such a small regional campus, resources sometimes are limited, leaders are few, but one thing stands out very well and that's the compassionate and dedicated individuals who remain here and are dedicated to bringing the campus forward and better than ever. Individuals like Olivia and her leadership are exactly what comes to mind.
Once again at a time of change our campus is transitioning our COA office to a 24/7 approach to mirror the other UTMB campuses. This change has been one of the most difficult as we shift the culture and expectations for the betterment of the campus. At no surprise to me when looking for the leader to lead this group, Olivia was the first that came to mind, and again she was the first to say, "I will do it". I have no doubt her leadership with our COA group will be a success and moving forward she will continue to impact and inspire others to lead with such a fearless approach never afraid to say no. Our campus is so lucky to have Olivia as one of the leaders, if the past year and a half has been this excited for her own leadership journey I cannot wait to see the next five years!
In the year and a half, I have led at the Angleton Danbury Campus Olivia was one person I met over and over again when learning key resources on campus and then soon realized she had many roles for the campus. Her title as a Nursing Program Manager did not do her justice since she served as a nurse educator, infection control, frequent fill-in for nurse manager coverage, and key point person for on-site employee health concerns. It did not take me long to figure out that it was the many years she had worked on the campus that she picked up additional roles along the way, owned them, and truly rocked them!
Almost immediately after starting my role on campus as administrator we had a crucial vacancy for the LDRP unit nurse manager. A unit needing a leader in the midst of change and adaptation to "system approaches" the unit really needed someone to come in and lead and advocate for staff, patients, and the growth of the program. Before I could even brainstorm the best fit, Olivia came to me simply stating, "I will do it". With no prior L&D experience and knowledge of the hardships of the unit, I was so amazed that she offered with such confidence. Never serving as a nurse manager I was left in amazement watching her in staff meetings so gracefully step in and provide exactly what the unit needed- consistency. I saw her go above and beyond learning the key skills of a nurse manager from the daunting tasks of Kronos and People Soft to having crucial conversations and dealing with employee issues which came very naturally. I was really impressed to see that her years of leading on the campus in other capacities aid in the staff immediately trusting her as the interim manager and their respect for her and her willingness to serve in this role was evident.
Olivia helped in the hiring process of the new manager months later and stayed as a mentor and support partner for the new manager well beyond the manager's orientation and even today a year later. Just months after getting the new manager independent on the unit without Olivia's daily support we went through another change on the campus losing the nurse manager of both the medical-surgical and ICU units. Once again, Olivia approached me with the same statement, "I will do it". Again, I watched in awe for months Olivia transition in as interim manager for the entire second floor, implement positive change, change the morale of the unit, and again bring in another very strong manager.
Today I have the honor of seeing all inpatient units thrive and two new managers set up for success transitioning off orientation and leading well beyond expectations. The common factor to contribute to this success is Olivia and her leadership. For such a small regional campus, resources sometimes are limited, leaders are few, but one thing stands out very well and that's the compassionate and dedicated individuals who remain here and are dedicated to bringing the campus forward and better than ever. Individuals like Olivia and her leadership are exactly what comes to mind.
Once again at a time of change our campus is transitioning our COA office to a 24/7 approach to mirror the other UTMB campuses. This change has been one of the most difficult as we shift the culture and expectations for the betterment of the campus. At no surprise to me when looking for the leader to lead this group, Olivia was the first that came to mind, and again she was the first to say, "I will do it". I have no doubt her leadership with our COA group will be a success and moving forward she will continue to impact and inspire others to lead with such a fearless approach never afraid to say no. Our campus is so lucky to have Olivia as one of the leaders, if the past year and a half has been this excited for her own leadership journey I cannot wait to see the next five years!