Katie began her career at Rusk State Hospital in 1998. She started in food service while she was in high school with split shifts. She moved into a PNA position and worked her way into a PNA 3 where she was a leader and supervisor for other PNA’s. She has a passion for our patients and for many years she cared for the basic needs of our most acute and mentally fragile patients on the Admission unit. She was emphatic and compassionate and was able to build a rapport with patients that others could not. She took her passion and drive and went to school to be a LVN. She graduated in 2007 and began her new patient care role as a LVN. She graduated RN school in 2013. She began charge nurse in 2015 and a nurse manager in 2018.

Katie continues to work in direct patient care despite her manager role. She provides direct care to patients working along side the PNA’s and LVN’s to ensure patients are given the best care possible. She takes the time to know her patients and is a role model for all her subordinate staff on how to care for them. She actually spends time with her patients and ensures that any pertinent information is passed on to the recovery team. She will assist in restraints, bathing and doing hands on patient care. She is very hands on with training staff and takes the time to teach new hire PNA’s and nurses on how to provide patient’s care and how to deal with difficult situations. She is a devote leader in that she is very vocal in being a patient advocate as well as an advocate for her staff. She works overtime weekly and I cannot remember a time that she has not worked on the floor along side her subordinate staff providing direct hands on care to our clients. She truly leads by example. She is a dynamic individual that has given her heart and soul to this institution and these patients.

One example of her leadership and patient care advocate was during the snow/ice storm. She was not able to make it out of her drive way due to ice but called and found a ride to get here because staffing was critical. She packed a bag and stayed and took care of our patients without a complaint. Katie is a valuable resource due to her knowledge base and dedication. Her dedication is shown by her often filling in for the house supervisor, at least once a week. She also is the main backup trainer for Medi-Mar and CWS when the nurse educator is out.

Due to her knowledge base of working in medication rooms she has been on the committee for our hospital in receiving the new Pixis machines. She worked in Central Staffing scheduling nurses and PNA’s as well as worked the floor to care for patients and maintained her nurse manager role. Katie has not only developed a rapport with her patients but the staff as well. She is respected by her staff and her patients trust that she will take care of any concern that they have. Katie is one of the best examples of what a dedicated RSH Psych nurse is. She is the total package of leadership and patient care advocate. Katie is also one of the hardest working employees I have ever worked with.