When I think of a role model, I think of someone who inspires me to imitate their behavior. It’s someone I look up to for support and guidance. If you look up the definition of role model you will see a smiling photo of this person right next to it. They exemplify trust, compassion, and respect!

Meghan has encouraged the staff to become professional in their demeanor by role-modeling what a professional should look like. She has obtained her PCCN certification and encourages others to follow in her footsteps. She is fair in discipline, will listen to all sides of a conflict, and will assist the participants to come up with a solution. Meghan listens to ideas from all staff members and encourages people to pursue projects or ideas. She does not take over the project but allows the people who had the idea to dive in and implement the project. An example of this is a unit-based preceptor update class. All staff are required to attend. One of the night unit coordinators and two of the practice council chairs saw a need to remind staff members of the exact role of a preceptor. They developed the class, used references, and sought out feedback from Meghan. She let them take the lead on this and the end results have been great. She supported the endeavor as she understands the importance of a positive preceptorship for our new employees.

Meghan is an extraordinary leader as she has provided support even prior to the staffing crunch. More than once and on the spur of the moment she has taken patients during the evenings and night shifts to help reduce the burden on the nurses and the unit coordinator. There have even been a few nights Meghan has stayed until 3:00 am because night shift was very challenging. She is a 24-hour manager. She wants to see the night shift just as much as the day shift. All the staff appreciate this! Meghan has a goal of meeting with each staff member once a quarter. She really wants to get to know her team beyond the walls of the Health System. This makes each staff member feel like they belong to the team.

Meghan has a true passion to improve the onboarding process. She saw a problem and was assigned to be on the LEAN team to look at the challenges and roadblocks within the process. She articulated her ideas, collaborated with a multi-disciplinary team, and came up with a solution. She represented nursing very professionally. Heart Center 5 has always been a great unit, but Meghan has raised the excellence of the unit with her positive role modeling, helping the staff members come up with solutions to challenges, and being present on the unit.

She promotes the image of nursing by being the perfect creation of what a nurse is. She is a leader, friend, and mentor even while balancing her personal life. She genuinely cares about each of the employees while caring for the employees of other units as well. When I think of someone who deserves this award, Meghan is high on that list! She is not only a great manager but also a great friend, coworker, and team player and I am proud that I got the chance to become part of her amazing team!