Kristen Hill
September 2021
Kristen
Hill
,
MS, APRN-CNS, AGCNS-BC
Central Quality and Education/Transplant
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center- University Hospital
Columbus
,
OH
United States
During this incredibly stressful time, I have felt so lucky to have been blessed with an incredible mentor, manager, and CNS, Kristen Hill.
Nursing by no means has ever been an easy profession, but the depths of the challenges we face in our careers has undoubtedly increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. Staff nurses, now, more than ever are under tremendous pressure to navigate the complexities of our healthcare system. We are tasked to learn and to adapt to the ever changing policies and evidence-based guidelines to provide safe, empathetic, and timely care to the patients who we serve. This pressure combined with demands of caring for an acutely ill patient can take a toll on not only the physical bodies of a nurse but can also deeply affect their mental health leading to emotional turmoil, and eventually burnout if not properly addressed.
During this incredibly stressful time, I have felt so lucky to have been blessed with an incredible mentor, manager, and CNS, Kristen Hill. Kristen has supported me throughout my entire nursing career from a new graduate to Clinical Ladder III nurse. From the first time I met Kristen in my interview for a new graduate RN position on the transplant unit, I knew if I were to accept a position on 10 Rhodes Transplant, I would be fully supported in my journey from novice to expert nurse.
Flash forward 4 years and one global pandemic later, the impact, inspiration and support I have received from Kristen cannot go untold. When I was hired in September of 2017, Kristen was enrolled in a master's degree program in pursuit of becoming a clinical nurse specialist. As a new graduate nurse, it was incredibly inspiring to witness her advancing not only her own knowledge and skills but the entire nursing profession as a whole. Her ability to balance the rigors of a demanding advanced practice nurse curriculum while simultaneously managing a large 43-bed unit full of acutely ill patients and 100 staff members is astonishing. Kristen was able to manage the unit with such grace and sincerity that our unit earned a 6/7 as our staff engagement according to our Magnet scorecard.
We also received tier two from the results of our breakthrough staff engagement survey, which further illustrates how supported our staff felt due to Kristen’s leadership. Kristen managed our unit in a way that made every employee feel valued, important, and respected. In fact, during my orientation as a new nurse, she gave me her personal cell phone number instructing me to call or text her “even on weekends or evenings” if I ever had questions or concerns. Imagine what I must have felt as a new graduate getting the manager’s number. Imagine if all managers were able to make their new staff members feel that valued, important and respected.
Throughout my nursing career, Kristen has always been present, engaged, and a great clinical resource every step of the way. She has encouraged me to advance my nursing career and to validate my own clinical expertise through obtaining multiple certifications and my clinical ladder. She helped me navigate the entire clinical ladder process, served as my mentor and helped me fine tune and edit many required essays. Kristen also encouraged me to jump into the roles of both preceptor and charge nurse. Without Kristen’s support, I am not sure if I would have obtained two specialty certifications, my Clinical Ladder or had the confidence to jump into the charge nurse or preceptor roles.
However, this support and encouragement she has provided is not unique to me. She truly encourages everyone on our unit to reach their full potential. She undoubtedly believes in our unit, and each member of our team; often more than we believe in ourselves. At the bedside, Kristen supports the unit through her frequent use of Policy Tech resources and by providing a listening ear and an extra set of hands. She exudes calm reassurance at the bedside when we are challenged to perform skills we don’t often encounter on our unit such as peritoneal dialysis, pleural vacs, trach care, and chest tubes. She genuinely listens to our concerns and uses her critical thinking to find a solution. Kristen is a huge advocate for us as bedside nurses and we feel that she will always have our back. She teaches us to believe in our nursing intuition, to advocate for our patients, and constantly reminds us that it is okay to call an ERT for any reason.
There was a time recently when a surgical team had asked me to clamp a chest tube. I knew that this didn’t “sound right” and told the doctors that I didn’t think we were allowed to do that. However, they insisted and clamped the tube themselves. I told Kristen about the scenario, and she printed off the policy that stated explicitly we should never clamp a chest tube for longer than necessary to change the drainage system. I was able to hand the doctors the policy and they reluctantly told me I could unclamp the chest tube. Without the policy in hand, I would have been disregarded again, and my patient could have suffered.
When I think of all the ways I have been supported by Kristen, one experience sticks out in particular. Early in the pandemic, working as a nurse on a floor that serves severely immunosuppressed abdominal organ transplant patients, my coworkers and I were temporarily sheltered from taking care of Covid-19 positive patients. However, in a global pandemic, this shelter could only last so long. Having learned the day prior to my assigned shift, that my mother tested positive for Covid and was dealing with severe fatigue and medication resistant fevers at home, I arrived at my shift to find out that I would be the first nurse on my unit to be floated to the Covid floor. Although my mom's diagnosis and symptoms weighed heavily on my heart, I put my brave face on and tried to mentally prepare for the impending shift. Kristen heard of this news and came to check on me before I headed over to the Covid unit. Not only did Kristen check in on me, but she actually helped me ensure I had the proper PPE, was confident on how to don and doff the equipment and took time out her day to personally walk me over to the Covid floor in order to introduce me to the charge nurse, manager, and CNS working on the unit.
Kristen was also there for me the day following my float where she created a space that allowed me to openly share the emotional hardship of my float to the Covid unit. During my float, I was assigned to a patient who was DNR-CC. This patient was just recently placed on comfort care that morning. I spent most of the shift holding the phone up for her as family members called to say their goodbyes. The toll that these moments took on me was substantial. I felt guilty that I was the only one there to comfort this woman in her final moments. I felt inadequate and angry that there was a pandemic which quickened her death and prevented her from passing surrounded by her family. I felt afraid that my mother might have a similar fate.
In debriefing and sharing these feelings with Kristen, I was able to start processing my emotions. Despite knowing Kristen had a full agenda of meetings, she stayed and talked with me as long as I needed, which was over an hour. At one point, I even heard a meeting reminder go off on her computer and I tried apologizing for taking her time and told her I would go so she could go back to her meeting. In that moment, she told me something I will never, ever in my life forget. She told me, “There is nothing more important than what I am doing right now.” Even just reflecting on this conversation brings tears to my eyes. I have never felt more seen, heard, or valued in my life. Kristen was present for me during this emotionally hard time for me which hugely helped reduce my stress and risk for burnout. She was and continues to be a safe haven for me and every other nurse experiencing any type of emotional turmoil. Kristen was a huge reason I was able to move past this experience. Although I doubt Kristen realized how impactful these moments were, they helped me tremendously and I will never forget the empathy and compassion she showed me for the rest of my life. Kristen so often goes above and beyond; that “above and beyond” is just normal for her.
For example, no one on our unit was surprised to find out that Kristen had spent an entire week orchestrating a wedding for a patient who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Nor were we surprised when we found that Kristen had hired a hair stylist to come in and do the hair of a young patient who had become depressed after a lengthy hospitalization due to complications after her transplant. Kristen also did not hesitate to decorate our dear friend and colleague’s ICU room when she was hospitalized. Kristen continuously goes above and beyond for both her colleagues and our patients. She is the ultimate example of how to care for patients and their families with deep humanity. Kristen is deeply committed to the transplant unit, her coworkers, and the patients that she serves. Her leadership comes from a place of personal experience and professional expertise. She leads by the genuine example she has set.
Kristen has experience as a pharmacist technician, a bedside nurse, an assistant nurse manager, a nurse manager, and a CNS. This broad range of experience is very rare today and a reason why she is so well respected throughout our hospital system. She is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and join us at the bedside to ensure our patients are receiving the best care possible. Kristen could be the CNO of the hospital and still be found at the bedside placing a Dobhoff tube, ultrasound IV, or helping the family member of a patient bound for hospice. Kristen is a skilled problem solver who innovates by utilizing her resources to ensure our patients receive the best possible care.
For example, it had become apparent that many of our patients had issues with IV access. She took it upon herself to facilitate for many of our bedside nurses to become trained in placing ultrasound IVs. Having PIV-trained nurses on the floor has greatly decreased the delay of care that our patients were routinely having due to lack of access. She also sought out training to be able to stick AV fistulas, a skill typically reserved for hemodialysis RNs. Furthermore, she has also completed advanced training so she can place and bridle Dobhoff nasogastric tubes. Though Dobhoff tube placement is often a procedure which is quite uncomfortable for the patient, she adroitly facilitates this skill while gently supporting the patient. It has always been clear that Kristen has a deep appreciation and respect for the care that bedside nurses provide to their patients and their families. She has always done her best to encourage and recognize our staff for the outstanding work they have done.
Kristen is constantly nominating staff members for all kinds of awards. Including nominating our entire unit for the spirit in teamwork award. Kristen has done so much for our unit and has never asked for anything in return. It is time that we recognize her clinical expertise, dedication to our unit, and the incredible role model that she has been to so many over the years. Our unit is so incredibly thankful for the enormous impact she has made not only our lives, but the lives of our patients as well.
During this incredibly stressful time, I have felt so lucky to have been blessed with an incredible mentor, manager, and CNS, Kristen Hill. Kristen has supported me throughout my entire nursing career from a new graduate to Clinical Ladder III nurse. From the first time I met Kristen in my interview for a new graduate RN position on the transplant unit, I knew if I were to accept a position on 10 Rhodes Transplant, I would be fully supported in my journey from novice to expert nurse.
Flash forward 4 years and one global pandemic later, the impact, inspiration and support I have received from Kristen cannot go untold. When I was hired in September of 2017, Kristen was enrolled in a master's degree program in pursuit of becoming a clinical nurse specialist. As a new graduate nurse, it was incredibly inspiring to witness her advancing not only her own knowledge and skills but the entire nursing profession as a whole. Her ability to balance the rigors of a demanding advanced practice nurse curriculum while simultaneously managing a large 43-bed unit full of acutely ill patients and 100 staff members is astonishing. Kristen was able to manage the unit with such grace and sincerity that our unit earned a 6/7 as our staff engagement according to our Magnet scorecard.
We also received tier two from the results of our breakthrough staff engagement survey, which further illustrates how supported our staff felt due to Kristen’s leadership. Kristen managed our unit in a way that made every employee feel valued, important, and respected. In fact, during my orientation as a new nurse, she gave me her personal cell phone number instructing me to call or text her “even on weekends or evenings” if I ever had questions or concerns. Imagine what I must have felt as a new graduate getting the manager’s number. Imagine if all managers were able to make their new staff members feel that valued, important and respected.
Throughout my nursing career, Kristen has always been present, engaged, and a great clinical resource every step of the way. She has encouraged me to advance my nursing career and to validate my own clinical expertise through obtaining multiple certifications and my clinical ladder. She helped me navigate the entire clinical ladder process, served as my mentor and helped me fine tune and edit many required essays. Kristen also encouraged me to jump into the roles of both preceptor and charge nurse. Without Kristen’s support, I am not sure if I would have obtained two specialty certifications, my Clinical Ladder or had the confidence to jump into the charge nurse or preceptor roles.
However, this support and encouragement she has provided is not unique to me. She truly encourages everyone on our unit to reach their full potential. She undoubtedly believes in our unit, and each member of our team; often more than we believe in ourselves. At the bedside, Kristen supports the unit through her frequent use of Policy Tech resources and by providing a listening ear and an extra set of hands. She exudes calm reassurance at the bedside when we are challenged to perform skills we don’t often encounter on our unit such as peritoneal dialysis, pleural vacs, trach care, and chest tubes. She genuinely listens to our concerns and uses her critical thinking to find a solution. Kristen is a huge advocate for us as bedside nurses and we feel that she will always have our back. She teaches us to believe in our nursing intuition, to advocate for our patients, and constantly reminds us that it is okay to call an ERT for any reason.
There was a time recently when a surgical team had asked me to clamp a chest tube. I knew that this didn’t “sound right” and told the doctors that I didn’t think we were allowed to do that. However, they insisted and clamped the tube themselves. I told Kristen about the scenario, and she printed off the policy that stated explicitly we should never clamp a chest tube for longer than necessary to change the drainage system. I was able to hand the doctors the policy and they reluctantly told me I could unclamp the chest tube. Without the policy in hand, I would have been disregarded again, and my patient could have suffered.
When I think of all the ways I have been supported by Kristen, one experience sticks out in particular. Early in the pandemic, working as a nurse on a floor that serves severely immunosuppressed abdominal organ transplant patients, my coworkers and I were temporarily sheltered from taking care of Covid-19 positive patients. However, in a global pandemic, this shelter could only last so long. Having learned the day prior to my assigned shift, that my mother tested positive for Covid and was dealing with severe fatigue and medication resistant fevers at home, I arrived at my shift to find out that I would be the first nurse on my unit to be floated to the Covid floor. Although my mom's diagnosis and symptoms weighed heavily on my heart, I put my brave face on and tried to mentally prepare for the impending shift. Kristen heard of this news and came to check on me before I headed over to the Covid unit. Not only did Kristen check in on me, but she actually helped me ensure I had the proper PPE, was confident on how to don and doff the equipment and took time out her day to personally walk me over to the Covid floor in order to introduce me to the charge nurse, manager, and CNS working on the unit.
Kristen was also there for me the day following my float where she created a space that allowed me to openly share the emotional hardship of my float to the Covid unit. During my float, I was assigned to a patient who was DNR-CC. This patient was just recently placed on comfort care that morning. I spent most of the shift holding the phone up for her as family members called to say their goodbyes. The toll that these moments took on me was substantial. I felt guilty that I was the only one there to comfort this woman in her final moments. I felt inadequate and angry that there was a pandemic which quickened her death and prevented her from passing surrounded by her family. I felt afraid that my mother might have a similar fate.
In debriefing and sharing these feelings with Kristen, I was able to start processing my emotions. Despite knowing Kristen had a full agenda of meetings, she stayed and talked with me as long as I needed, which was over an hour. At one point, I even heard a meeting reminder go off on her computer and I tried apologizing for taking her time and told her I would go so she could go back to her meeting. In that moment, she told me something I will never, ever in my life forget. She told me, “There is nothing more important than what I am doing right now.” Even just reflecting on this conversation brings tears to my eyes. I have never felt more seen, heard, or valued in my life. Kristen was present for me during this emotionally hard time for me which hugely helped reduce my stress and risk for burnout. She was and continues to be a safe haven for me and every other nurse experiencing any type of emotional turmoil. Kristen was a huge reason I was able to move past this experience. Although I doubt Kristen realized how impactful these moments were, they helped me tremendously and I will never forget the empathy and compassion she showed me for the rest of my life. Kristen so often goes above and beyond; that “above and beyond” is just normal for her.
For example, no one on our unit was surprised to find out that Kristen had spent an entire week orchestrating a wedding for a patient who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Nor were we surprised when we found that Kristen had hired a hair stylist to come in and do the hair of a young patient who had become depressed after a lengthy hospitalization due to complications after her transplant. Kristen also did not hesitate to decorate our dear friend and colleague’s ICU room when she was hospitalized. Kristen continuously goes above and beyond for both her colleagues and our patients. She is the ultimate example of how to care for patients and their families with deep humanity. Kristen is deeply committed to the transplant unit, her coworkers, and the patients that she serves. Her leadership comes from a place of personal experience and professional expertise. She leads by the genuine example she has set.
Kristen has experience as a pharmacist technician, a bedside nurse, an assistant nurse manager, a nurse manager, and a CNS. This broad range of experience is very rare today and a reason why she is so well respected throughout our hospital system. She is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and join us at the bedside to ensure our patients are receiving the best care possible. Kristen could be the CNO of the hospital and still be found at the bedside placing a Dobhoff tube, ultrasound IV, or helping the family member of a patient bound for hospice. Kristen is a skilled problem solver who innovates by utilizing her resources to ensure our patients receive the best possible care.
For example, it had become apparent that many of our patients had issues with IV access. She took it upon herself to facilitate for many of our bedside nurses to become trained in placing ultrasound IVs. Having PIV-trained nurses on the floor has greatly decreased the delay of care that our patients were routinely having due to lack of access. She also sought out training to be able to stick AV fistulas, a skill typically reserved for hemodialysis RNs. Furthermore, she has also completed advanced training so she can place and bridle Dobhoff nasogastric tubes. Though Dobhoff tube placement is often a procedure which is quite uncomfortable for the patient, she adroitly facilitates this skill while gently supporting the patient. It has always been clear that Kristen has a deep appreciation and respect for the care that bedside nurses provide to their patients and their families. She has always done her best to encourage and recognize our staff for the outstanding work they have done.
Kristen is constantly nominating staff members for all kinds of awards. Including nominating our entire unit for the spirit in teamwork award. Kristen has done so much for our unit and has never asked for anything in return. It is time that we recognize her clinical expertise, dedication to our unit, and the incredible role model that she has been to so many over the years. Our unit is so incredibly thankful for the enormous impact she has made not only our lives, but the lives of our patients as well.