Tara Hunt
July 2023
Tara
Hunt
,
BSN, RN
MICU, SICU, NICU
Ascension Providence
Mobile
,
AL
United States
She pressed forward, creating an environment of trust and compassion, showing her families and staff that rainbows can be found even in the darkest times.
Tara is a great example of what a Nurse Manager should be. She is always there for her nurses in the ICU, willing to jump in and help out when we need her. She does her best to ensure we have what we need to carry out our roles as nurses. She is a stern leader, supporting the staff and making sure we follow policies and safely care for our patients. She carries out her role with the highest professionalism. She has the utmost respect for the nurses and doctors she works with. She sets a great example for all of us to follow. Tara is a great leader and the top Daisy in our ICU units.
As the pandemic unfolded, Tara was also adjusting to her new position as the Manager of all three of our Intensive Care Units. After 20-plus years of direct care, Tara not only found herself in a new leadership position, but now navigating the additional uncertainty of day to day life during those years. The expectations of a Nurse Manager reach far and wide, but what would come, no one could imagine.
Would we have enough staff to handle the critical need so many of our patients require? What are our supply challenges? How do you raise a brand new ICU nurse in such uncharted waters to provide safe care? How do you teach resilience, and maintain composure, when so much sadness surrounds you?
She just did it. In true leader fashion, placing her needs aside to focus on the well-being of her patients, their families, her doctors, and staff. She modeled the behavior of a true leader. She worked a 30-day stretch, including weekends, giving direct care at the bedside, simply because there was a need. She had many heartbreaking conversations with families to help prepare them for the inevitable loss of a loved one. They were young and old. Most were strangers, but sometimes they were even friends.
She was accessible, available, and responsive to the needs of everyone around her. She was literally a shoulder to cry on for many young Nurses questioning their career choice. She was there when our staff didn’t think they could do it anymore. She made things happen. She made it her mission to deliver the best care possible when things seemed beyond impossible. She cared not only for the patient but for everyone. She created special moments for families and even arranged a wedding for a patient in the ICU. She pressed forward, creating an environment of trust and compassion, showing her families and staff that rainbows can be found even in the darkest times.
Tara’s reputation as a highly-skilled, dedicated ICU Nurse, with her natural ability to lead, made her the best fit for what it took during the height of the pandemic. So many of us thank her. No one deserves to be recognized more than Tara Hunt.
As the pandemic unfolded, Tara was also adjusting to her new position as the Manager of all three of our Intensive Care Units. After 20-plus years of direct care, Tara not only found herself in a new leadership position, but now navigating the additional uncertainty of day to day life during those years. The expectations of a Nurse Manager reach far and wide, but what would come, no one could imagine.
Would we have enough staff to handle the critical need so many of our patients require? What are our supply challenges? How do you raise a brand new ICU nurse in such uncharted waters to provide safe care? How do you teach resilience, and maintain composure, when so much sadness surrounds you?
She just did it. In true leader fashion, placing her needs aside to focus on the well-being of her patients, their families, her doctors, and staff. She modeled the behavior of a true leader. She worked a 30-day stretch, including weekends, giving direct care at the bedside, simply because there was a need. She had many heartbreaking conversations with families to help prepare them for the inevitable loss of a loved one. They were young and old. Most were strangers, but sometimes they were even friends.
She was accessible, available, and responsive to the needs of everyone around her. She was literally a shoulder to cry on for many young Nurses questioning their career choice. She was there when our staff didn’t think they could do it anymore. She made things happen. She made it her mission to deliver the best care possible when things seemed beyond impossible. She cared not only for the patient but for everyone. She created special moments for families and even arranged a wedding for a patient in the ICU. She pressed forward, creating an environment of trust and compassion, showing her families and staff that rainbows can be found even in the darkest times.
Tara’s reputation as a highly-skilled, dedicated ICU Nurse, with her natural ability to lead, made her the best fit for what it took during the height of the pandemic. So many of us thank her. No one deserves to be recognized more than Tara Hunt.