Renee’ has been a Registered Nurse at this facility for 28 years. Renee’ displays a high moral principle in every aspect of her care. Renee makes every effort to back up her words with her actions. She is loyal to her coworkers and her department. She is willing to go the extra mile to help her peers. She strives to provide the best care for the Veteran even when that means going the extra mile to advocate for that Veteran’s needs. She is willing to speak up for what is right even when it isn’t the easiest thing to do. When asked to help the inpatient units during the COVID19 pandemic crisis, Renee’ was one of the first to volunteer to fill the gap across the healthcare system even though this was outside her comfort zone. Commitment – Work diligently to serve Veterans and other beneficiaries. Be driven by the earnest belief in VA’s mission. Fulfill my individual responsibilities and organizational responsibilities. • Her commitment to serving the Veteran’s is evident in all she does. Mrs. Jones noticed Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions Initiative appeared in the list of orders on the CPRS Orders tab. Staff in the endoscopy unit were not aware of what this stood for. Mrs. Jones researched the intranet and collaborated with a social worker as to what LSTDI means. During the Unit Based Council meeting Mrs. Jones gave an in-service to the endoscopy staff on what LSTDI means. Staff should be aware of what this means because this is the way that the patient communicated their wishes and their goals when they are not able to do so. This is just one example of how she continually strives to meet the goals of the VA mission. Advocacy – Be truly Veteran-centric by identifying, fully considering, and appropriately advancing the interests of Veterans and other beneficiaries. • Mrs. Jones believes the respect for the beliefs, values, dignity and rights of others are an inherent part of the ethical leadership principles. She recently recognized that a patient’s foot was bleeding after he removed his shoe. The patient thought the bleeding was because he is diabetic and so he did not think much about it. Mrs. Jones was not satisfied with the answer from the patient, so she voiced her concern to the patient’s family member there. Mrs. Jones asked to look at the patient’s shoe and found a phone charger in the patient’s shoe. The patient and the family were all surprised to realize what had caused injury to his foot. Mrs. Jones consulted and collaborated with wound clinic about the patient’s foot injuries. The wound clinic saw the patient before he was discharged from the endoscopy unit. The patient was given medicated ointments to apply to the affected site and scheduled an appointment to return to have his foot evaluated. This is just one example of her willingness to go the extra mile to ensure the Veteran is care for. Respect – Treat all those I serve and with whom I work with dignity and respect. Show respect to earn it. • Renee’ treats everyone she encounters with the utmost respect daily. She is always quick to help her coworkers and has keen awareness regarding what needs to be prioritized throughout her day to ensure the best outcome. She speaks kindly to others and is always respectful to the Veteran. She is one of the most thoughtful people you will ever meet. There is not an event that goes by that she does not recognize and goes out of her way to make others feel special and valued. Excellence – Strive for the highest quality and continuous improvement. Be thoughtful and decisive in leadership, accountable for my actions, willing to make mistakes, and rigorous in correcting them. • Renee utilizes her years of nursing knowledge and experience to look for ways to improve processes and provide excellent patient care. Recently, Mrs. Jones identified a systems problem involving the written instructions provided to Veterans regarding preparation for endoscopy procedures. Mrs. Jones identified an option to incorporate a pre-recorded message to make available to veterans after hours. She coordinated with multiple systems within the facility to accomplish this goal. This pre-recorded message system was put into place at the EOVAHCS with good results. Mrs. Jones has monitored the message system monthly. She has seen a steady increase in the calls coming to the message system, as many as 35 calls a month. This is just one example of her willingness to look for ways to improve the care provided to our Veterans. • Another example of her continuous improvement efforts was when Ms. Jones was aware that the endoscopy employee orientation packet needed to be revised and updated. She reached out to other endoscopy units within the VA and was able to put together a revised new employee orientation packet specific to this Endoscopy unit. The packet was implemented recently and was found to be useful and more helpful to the new employee.