Emily McSpadden
July 2021
Emily
McSpadden
,
MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Pediatric Med/Surg
Dell Children's Medical Center
Austin
,
TX
United States
What makes her an extraordinary leader is her openness and willingness to listen and her ability to find solutions. She uses feedback to make our unit feel more like home for families and staff alike.
I have collected a number of stories from staff that show she is a true DAISY Nurse Leader. These examples touch on more than one of the questions in this nomination so deciding where to put them was difficult.
***
Our unit doesn't normally have patients who pass away but today we are all mourning the death of one that we knew and really cared for. Emily is so attuned to the emotions and feelings that everyone may be having. Despite having a lot of her usual work to do, she is prioritizing being present on the unit, checking in with staff, buying coffee, and just making it known that she is here for all of us on this difficult day. Even though she is feeling the effect of losing this patient, too, she is focused on taking care of her staff that knew him so well and are grieving.
***
Emily leads by example and is always ready and willing to get on the floor with us, whether it is stepping in the charge role or helping with an admission. She also is so willing to give her time to listen to me. I never get the impression that she is too busy, even when she is.
***
Emily feels an immense responsibility to be present for staff on both day and night shifts which can be hard when also trying to maintain work/life balance for herself and her family. Emily has also arrived early to see more of the night shift (I think she got there around 0500) and that morning we had a patient code on the unit. She was ready to help in any way she could and witnessed for me while we were pulling a controlled medication for the code. Right after the kiddo was transferred to PICU, she went and got all the nurses Starbucks as an emotional pick-me-up (and to help us keep awake through the extra charting :) ). I think it's just one example of how amazing she has been as a manager and nurse, but wanted to share it with you!
***
I like knowing that I am safe talking with Emily. She always actively listens, whether it's to a concern or something positive, and then talking through solutions or what could be better. I always feel heard and cared for by Emily. She is available to both day and night staff and has even started coming in very early some days so that she can talk with night staff and hang out with them to get to know what their needs are.
***
During the height of COVID, I was experiencing a lot of loss in my life and was struggling. As I was going about my workday, Emily stopped to ask me how I was. It was in a way that I could tell she noticed something was off about me and really wanted to know, not in the way you ask someone you're just passing by. At that moment I told her, please don't ask me how I am doing because it's taking everything in me to hold it together and if you ask I might start crying. She understood and didn't push harder. Later that night I received a text from her that said, "I see you, and I care." A simple message, that meant more to me than I can ever begin to express. I feel so grateful to work for someone who genuinely sees me and cares. I will never forget that text and what it meant to me at that moment. She also checked in with me to ask how I was and how everyone was doing every day during the snowpocalypse. I know she felt guilty she was not with us physically and wanted to support us in any way she could.
***
I have been asking for years if management was eligible for the DAISY Award because I feel as though I need to address the fact that Emily stayed with me in ED, while my family drove from Dallas when I had to get my appendix removed. I called her right at the beginning of her day while she was already at work, crying because my stomach was hurting so bad. I couldn't even get up to take myself to the hospital so she drove to my apartment, unsure if I was stable. She called EMS to come as well, just in case. She ran up to my apartment and got me ready to go to the hospital. She sat in the ED with me for what seemed like the entire day, with her laptop trying to work and also being supportive for me and she did not leave my side until my family arrived. She had to go with me for my Xray because I couldn't stand up on my own and advocated for me when the pain was becoming unbearable and knew it was probably time for more pain medicine. Words just cannot begin to describe how grateful I was for Emily that day, but also every day. This act she did for me, I know she would do for any other of our nurses if we needed her.
***
With each rounding and in each evaluation, Emily asks for feedback on what she can do to better support me or what processes could be improved to better take care of our patients. I have offered lots of feedback and many of my ideas have either been implemented or some version of it. This shows how much she values our perspective and ideas to improve patient care. In one of my previous evaluations, I had feedback for Emily that was hard for me to share. I value her leadership so much, but I thought it was important to share with her that I thought she could have handled a situation a little differently. I was so scared, but she thanked me for my feedback. She later told me how that feedback gave her a different perspective and how it changed her practice in similar situations. It's so courageous when someone admits when they can do better and actually do. That means so much to me and shows how much respect she has for the people she works with.
***
I have worked for many managers in all of my years working, prior to becoming a nurse and here at DCMC. I have never worked for a manager that is as great a leader as Emily. I always know that Emily has the best interests of 3C in mind. She advocates for the needs of our nurses and techs. She will go to great lengths to get the resources we need, to have the staffing we need, to get the help we need. Even though our HPPD is low, Emily prioritizes safe staffing and patient care above always meeting our number (although she knows it is important to try to do what we can to meet our number). Since the closing of IMC, our unit has had high acuity patients which makes for much tighter staffing. Emily is willing to do what it takes to help our unit. In the past several months, she has come into numbers to be a sitter or to help charge, or do VS. She is always so positive - whether it's helping a staff member with busy, chronic patients or just keeping her own attitude positive when the unit is crazy with busy, chronic patients.
***
During Covid, Emily always kept us up-to-date and encouraged us to ask questions, offer ideas or solutions, or just support us. She used her exemplary communication skills to let us know what was going on at all times and help us feel empowered and important. It's hard to express how much this helped the staff on 3C get through last year!
***
Leading is a calling that not all people are cut out for. Emily has proven over the course of the pandemic that she can lead others with a calm and encouraging attitude. In the summer of 2020, her unit, 3 Central became the unit that DCMC would cohort COVID patients to, and in this time of uncertainty and high stress she remained even-keeled and compassionate while tending to the concerns and fears of her staff and reassuring us with her transparency and empathy. She modeled courage and compassion for us that inspired staff to show up with courage and compassion for our patients and each other. Emily understands that leading doesn't always mean standing out in front of the group you are leading. Sometimes, it means walking alongside and even gently nudging or encouraging some in the group. Emily has demonstrated this when staffing was short by charging on the unit when needed, sitting with mental health patients, admitting a COVID patient so a nurse can take a lunch break, and helping with a multitude of other nursing tasks for our wonderful nurses when acuity is high and nurses are stretched thin. Not only were the needs of our nurses met in these examples, but also the needs of our patients. The goal of bedside nursing is to provide exceptional care, these examples show it's clear Emily shares this vision with the bedside nurses she leads. She also understands when she cares for her staff and tends to their needs, she has a positive impact on patient care because nurses can't meet the needs of others if their needs are not met.
***
Emily McSpadden is an Extraordinary Nurse manager and leader. She listens to our patients and her staff. She finds ways to optimize our unit and our patients' stay. Whether it is updating our break room with a comfy recliner and snack bar, submitting a grant to get rocking chairs/gliders for each room in our unit (so parents can rock/nurse their kiddos), or getting sleep kits for parents and white noise machines for each room; she seamlessly accommodates individual needs whenever possible. Emily is easy to talk to and puts people at ease with her genuine interest in supporting patients, families, and staff. She encourages me and supports my growth. She took care of me and my family during the craziness of the pandemic making sure I could navigate virtual kindergarten for my son, being pregnant/caring for my newborn daughter and working. What makes her an extraordinary leader is her openness and willingness to listen and her ability to find solutions. She uses feedback to make our unit feel more like home for families and staff alike.
***
An important way to enhance the profession of nursing whether it's here at DCMC, Ascension, or in the community is to offer pathways to higher education for nurses. When I asked Emily to write not one but two recommendations for me to get into a DNP program and for an Ascension nursing scholarship she generously agreed to do so. Many 3 central nurses have decided to advance their careers through higher education and she provided recommendations for many of these nurses. This not only impacts the nursing career of each nurse she helps but has a larger impact on the community of nursing. We are so grateful that Emily supports our goals and dreams in this way.
**
"Daring leaders who live into their values are never silent about the hard things." Brene Brown. Let's be honest, leading is hard. As you can see Emily has proven over and over the importance of living out her values, especially when situations arise that require her to dig in and lean into hard uncomfortable moments. This was not only true for 2020, Emily has shown up for us in many ways since she became the manager for 3 Central. For me personally, Emily encouraged me at a time when I was struggling with personal issues. Instead of awkwardly avoiding conversations with me about these issues, she checked in with me, connected with me, and shared a book that essentially would change how I practiced my values. This is a brave thing for a leader to do. Through that encouragement, I have learned the importance of showing up for others in similar ways that she shows up for our unit when it matters most. Through her servant leadership style, I myself am inspired to lead others by example just as Emily leads us.
***
Whether it was COVID or SNOWVID or a multitude of personal issues 3 Central nurses have experienced, Emily continues showing up for us in so many ways. We feel that Emily without a doubt is a shining example of the leadership here at DCMC and absolutely deserves to be recognized for her dedication to staff and the patients that are entrusted into our care.
***
Our unit doesn't normally have patients who pass away but today we are all mourning the death of one that we knew and really cared for. Emily is so attuned to the emotions and feelings that everyone may be having. Despite having a lot of her usual work to do, she is prioritizing being present on the unit, checking in with staff, buying coffee, and just making it known that she is here for all of us on this difficult day. Even though she is feeling the effect of losing this patient, too, she is focused on taking care of her staff that knew him so well and are grieving.
***
Emily leads by example and is always ready and willing to get on the floor with us, whether it is stepping in the charge role or helping with an admission. She also is so willing to give her time to listen to me. I never get the impression that she is too busy, even when she is.
***
Emily feels an immense responsibility to be present for staff on both day and night shifts which can be hard when also trying to maintain work/life balance for herself and her family. Emily has also arrived early to see more of the night shift (I think she got there around 0500) and that morning we had a patient code on the unit. She was ready to help in any way she could and witnessed for me while we were pulling a controlled medication for the code. Right after the kiddo was transferred to PICU, she went and got all the nurses Starbucks as an emotional pick-me-up (and to help us keep awake through the extra charting :) ). I think it's just one example of how amazing she has been as a manager and nurse, but wanted to share it with you!
***
I like knowing that I am safe talking with Emily. She always actively listens, whether it's to a concern or something positive, and then talking through solutions or what could be better. I always feel heard and cared for by Emily. She is available to both day and night staff and has even started coming in very early some days so that she can talk with night staff and hang out with them to get to know what their needs are.
***
During the height of COVID, I was experiencing a lot of loss in my life and was struggling. As I was going about my workday, Emily stopped to ask me how I was. It was in a way that I could tell she noticed something was off about me and really wanted to know, not in the way you ask someone you're just passing by. At that moment I told her, please don't ask me how I am doing because it's taking everything in me to hold it together and if you ask I might start crying. She understood and didn't push harder. Later that night I received a text from her that said, "I see you, and I care." A simple message, that meant more to me than I can ever begin to express. I feel so grateful to work for someone who genuinely sees me and cares. I will never forget that text and what it meant to me at that moment. She also checked in with me to ask how I was and how everyone was doing every day during the snowpocalypse. I know she felt guilty she was not with us physically and wanted to support us in any way she could.
***
I have been asking for years if management was eligible for the DAISY Award because I feel as though I need to address the fact that Emily stayed with me in ED, while my family drove from Dallas when I had to get my appendix removed. I called her right at the beginning of her day while she was already at work, crying because my stomach was hurting so bad. I couldn't even get up to take myself to the hospital so she drove to my apartment, unsure if I was stable. She called EMS to come as well, just in case. She ran up to my apartment and got me ready to go to the hospital. She sat in the ED with me for what seemed like the entire day, with her laptop trying to work and also being supportive for me and she did not leave my side until my family arrived. She had to go with me for my Xray because I couldn't stand up on my own and advocated for me when the pain was becoming unbearable and knew it was probably time for more pain medicine. Words just cannot begin to describe how grateful I was for Emily that day, but also every day. This act she did for me, I know she would do for any other of our nurses if we needed her.
***
With each rounding and in each evaluation, Emily asks for feedback on what she can do to better support me or what processes could be improved to better take care of our patients. I have offered lots of feedback and many of my ideas have either been implemented or some version of it. This shows how much she values our perspective and ideas to improve patient care. In one of my previous evaluations, I had feedback for Emily that was hard for me to share. I value her leadership so much, but I thought it was important to share with her that I thought she could have handled a situation a little differently. I was so scared, but she thanked me for my feedback. She later told me how that feedback gave her a different perspective and how it changed her practice in similar situations. It's so courageous when someone admits when they can do better and actually do. That means so much to me and shows how much respect she has for the people she works with.
***
I have worked for many managers in all of my years working, prior to becoming a nurse and here at DCMC. I have never worked for a manager that is as great a leader as Emily. I always know that Emily has the best interests of 3C in mind. She advocates for the needs of our nurses and techs. She will go to great lengths to get the resources we need, to have the staffing we need, to get the help we need. Even though our HPPD is low, Emily prioritizes safe staffing and patient care above always meeting our number (although she knows it is important to try to do what we can to meet our number). Since the closing of IMC, our unit has had high acuity patients which makes for much tighter staffing. Emily is willing to do what it takes to help our unit. In the past several months, she has come into numbers to be a sitter or to help charge, or do VS. She is always so positive - whether it's helping a staff member with busy, chronic patients or just keeping her own attitude positive when the unit is crazy with busy, chronic patients.
***
During Covid, Emily always kept us up-to-date and encouraged us to ask questions, offer ideas or solutions, or just support us. She used her exemplary communication skills to let us know what was going on at all times and help us feel empowered and important. It's hard to express how much this helped the staff on 3C get through last year!
***
Leading is a calling that not all people are cut out for. Emily has proven over the course of the pandemic that she can lead others with a calm and encouraging attitude. In the summer of 2020, her unit, 3 Central became the unit that DCMC would cohort COVID patients to, and in this time of uncertainty and high stress she remained even-keeled and compassionate while tending to the concerns and fears of her staff and reassuring us with her transparency and empathy. She modeled courage and compassion for us that inspired staff to show up with courage and compassion for our patients and each other. Emily understands that leading doesn't always mean standing out in front of the group you are leading. Sometimes, it means walking alongside and even gently nudging or encouraging some in the group. Emily has demonstrated this when staffing was short by charging on the unit when needed, sitting with mental health patients, admitting a COVID patient so a nurse can take a lunch break, and helping with a multitude of other nursing tasks for our wonderful nurses when acuity is high and nurses are stretched thin. Not only were the needs of our nurses met in these examples, but also the needs of our patients. The goal of bedside nursing is to provide exceptional care, these examples show it's clear Emily shares this vision with the bedside nurses she leads. She also understands when she cares for her staff and tends to their needs, she has a positive impact on patient care because nurses can't meet the needs of others if their needs are not met.
***
Emily McSpadden is an Extraordinary Nurse manager and leader. She listens to our patients and her staff. She finds ways to optimize our unit and our patients' stay. Whether it is updating our break room with a comfy recliner and snack bar, submitting a grant to get rocking chairs/gliders for each room in our unit (so parents can rock/nurse their kiddos), or getting sleep kits for parents and white noise machines for each room; she seamlessly accommodates individual needs whenever possible. Emily is easy to talk to and puts people at ease with her genuine interest in supporting patients, families, and staff. She encourages me and supports my growth. She took care of me and my family during the craziness of the pandemic making sure I could navigate virtual kindergarten for my son, being pregnant/caring for my newborn daughter and working. What makes her an extraordinary leader is her openness and willingness to listen and her ability to find solutions. She uses feedback to make our unit feel more like home for families and staff alike.
***
An important way to enhance the profession of nursing whether it's here at DCMC, Ascension, or in the community is to offer pathways to higher education for nurses. When I asked Emily to write not one but two recommendations for me to get into a DNP program and for an Ascension nursing scholarship she generously agreed to do so. Many 3 central nurses have decided to advance their careers through higher education and she provided recommendations for many of these nurses. This not only impacts the nursing career of each nurse she helps but has a larger impact on the community of nursing. We are so grateful that Emily supports our goals and dreams in this way.
**
"Daring leaders who live into their values are never silent about the hard things." Brene Brown. Let's be honest, leading is hard. As you can see Emily has proven over and over the importance of living out her values, especially when situations arise that require her to dig in and lean into hard uncomfortable moments. This was not only true for 2020, Emily has shown up for us in many ways since she became the manager for 3 Central. For me personally, Emily encouraged me at a time when I was struggling with personal issues. Instead of awkwardly avoiding conversations with me about these issues, she checked in with me, connected with me, and shared a book that essentially would change how I practiced my values. This is a brave thing for a leader to do. Through that encouragement, I have learned the importance of showing up for others in similar ways that she shows up for our unit when it matters most. Through her servant leadership style, I myself am inspired to lead others by example just as Emily leads us.
***
Whether it was COVID or SNOWVID or a multitude of personal issues 3 Central nurses have experienced, Emily continues showing up for us in so many ways. We feel that Emily without a doubt is a shining example of the leadership here at DCMC and absolutely deserves to be recognized for her dedication to staff and the patients that are entrusted into our care.