I would like to nominate one of my managers, Kelly Vaughn. She is always a listening ear when you're having a bad day or need advice. She is very welcoming and very approachable. There was a time when I had to get written up for attendance due to some health issues. She never belittled me or made me feel like a bad employee, or a bad person. She gave me the advice I needed to get things right with Ascension involving FMLA. These health issues have been really hard on my body and have affected me mentally. Some of these things have been hard to talk about and hard to deal with, and I am nothing but comfortable expressing my emotions to her.

There was a time when I was newer to the ICU, fresh on my own, when I had a patient's family member yell at me in the hallway about an issue she had overnight. I advised Kelly of the situation, and she spoke to the family about their concerns. She got involved without hesitation and helped clear some things up. I came to find out that the family member was given the wrong information by another family member, which caused a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication between all parties involved. Kelly was there to help settle things and get to the bottom of the situation. Getting yelled at in the middle of the hallway is embarrassing enough, and Kelly definitely had my back. She expressed my concerns with the family about feeling attacked and accommodated my wish of switching my patient assignment to avoid any further issues.

I feel like Kelly is always on top of things and is willing to help. Oftentimes, she roams the halls asking all of us if we're okay or if we need help with anything. She's very present and you always know when she's at work, due to her checking in on us frequently. There's something about her that is so warm and welcoming. I feel comfortable going to her for anything because I feel like she is really going to tell me how it is, but in a loving, big sister kind of way, while keeping her professionalism. Overall, I love all of my managers. In all of my total 4ish years of working for Ascension, this has been the best group of managers I could ever ask for. It's something I've actually never experienced in all of my working career. I never want any of my managers in the ICU to think I don't think highly of them, because, trust me, I do! But Kelly and I have had a lot more conversations over the last few months, and I'm so thankful for them. She is someone I will always remember working with, and I cannot express my gratitude enough for her guidance and assistance. Everyone needs a "Kelly" in their lives. 

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Kelly is the "mom" ager of the dynamic trio. It is really as if she has about eight arms trying to get everything done. I say that because she does everything with just two and with ease, I might add that!! I definitely want to be like her when I grow up. There has never been a time I don't think any of us couldn't come to her and she wouldn't stop everything she was doing to make sure she helped you get what you needed while crying with you or wiping both tears away (meaning yours and hers)! On a personal note, she makes it happen in spite of things that have happened and do happen in her own life, and that alone makes me appreciate her even more. Her vision and ability to put aspects and situations into perspective inspire the team and myself to strive for excellence! I love her for just loving me and she truly shows it. I had experienced discrimination a few years back on an elevator here at work. Some of my coworkers knew because of the look on my face when I got back up to the 3rd floor (MICU). A family member called me the N-word and didn't want to ride the elevator with me because I was black. Well, my coworkers told her, and I never knew she knew until a week later. She called me into the office and said, "Are you okay?" I was nervous and said, "Yeah, are you okay?". She began to cry and said, "I can't say I will ever know what that feels like, but we want you to know we love you and care about you and hate what happened to you, but we are here if you need us." I immediately started to cry because I then realized she knew and cared about me. It's one thing when you see people, but it's a whole other thing when people see you. Leadership is action, not position, and she definitely does just that. She is even empathetic to my need for "human," if you will. I have three foster children. She made sure they had toys, food, clothes, Christmas and me - she makes sure they have me, even when her cup is empty, she scrapes the bottom to give to me and the team if she has to. It's amazing because even losing her things in the flood, you can't tell. Some days, I bother her with jokes just to try and give to her what she doesn't even realize she has given to me and that's a reason to keep going and growing when giving up is so easy to do. My shero, aka manager, is Kelly Vaughn. I love you on purpose, boss lady! I could probably write a book, but I think just showing how compassionate, professional, and human she is, is enough. When people do something for you, big or small, thank them, and Lord, I thank God for Kelly Vaughn!