Lisa Hennigan
June 2024
Lisa
Hennigan
,
MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Administration
Atrium Health-Mercy
Charlotte
,
NC
United States
The attribute that sets Lisa apart and makes them a truly outstanding nurse is the culture of family that they have instilled at their facility.
Lisa Hennigan has devoted their 32-year career to advancing the profession of nursing while working in a multitude of clinical settings with diverse patient populations. They have worked in a leadership role for the last 22 years and model being a lifelong learner by obtaining their MSN in Nursing Administration and advanced leadership certification from the ANA. They serve as the highest level of nursing leadership at their 196-bed community-level hospital, a position they have proudly held for over ten years.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nominee sought to support their nurses who were experiencing burnout by creating a Nursing Retention Committee. The committee provides a platform for bedside nurses to present ideas to increase job satisfaction and boost morale. Nursing turnover has decreased by 21.9 % since the creation of this committee. The importance of Shared Governance can be seen by this leader’s consistency in deferring decisions to Unit Based Councils (UBCs) whenever possible so frontline teammates can have a voice in ideas and change that affect them. The nominee oversaw the creation of the facility’s Service Line Council to provide structure and support around Professional Governance.
This nurse leader takes accountability for the well-being of both teammates and patients. They completed Lean Teammate Safety Certification training with the guiding principles of respect and humility after yearly anniversary survey results disclosed that teammates felt unsafe at work. The nominee implemented a new process of targeted teammate education, daily huddle metric with visual aid, and event reviews to combat workplace violence which resulted in a 48% increase in Care Event reporting and a 38% increase in teammates reporting feeling safe at work. They additionally supported creating a multidisciplinary Behavior Emergency Support Team (BEST) to de-escalate patient behavior and promote safety in the workplace.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, they organized memorial services for teammates who passed in the facility’s Healing Garden so the family members and co-workers of those lost could come together to honor and mourn in a safe setting. The nominee implemented a Patient and Family Advisory Council consisting of past patients, family members, and caregivers to improve the patient and family experience by incorporating their insight and recommendations to directly influence facility policy, programs, and practices.
The nominee seeks opportunities for their facility to be a place of excellence for both patients and staff. They led the facility in their first Magnet designation and subsequent redesignation, as well as their initial Planetree Certification in Person-Centered Care and three redesignations. The commitment to maintaining these two designations, which only a handful of facilities in the US boast both, shows dedication to what staff fondly refer to as the “Spirit of Mercy” and the “why” behind the work that they do.
This nurse leader is passionate about volunteer work in their facility and community. They were integral in creating the “Helping Hands” volunteer hub with a variety of service opportunities that all teammates could participate in. Commitment to participating in the national DAISY Award program provides meaningful recognition to nurses. The leader also widely uses an institution-based recognition platform to personally acknowledge and reward teammates. The nominee has a true “open door” policy with the commitment to make herself available to any staff or patients who need her.
The nominee is a servant leader whose strength and courage were highlighted throughout the pandemic. They understood the increased need for leader visibility and were intentional in being present for staff, even staying overnight and coming in on days off to offer support. When rounding, you will notice that this nurse addresses staff by name and makes a point to invest time and energy in getting to know them as individuals.
They are committed to their staff’s personal and leadership development. In the last five years, they have onboarded nine new Nurse Managers and supported two through completing their doctorates. They personally mentored a Nurse Manager in the promotion to a Director of Nursing role and then further advanced to achieve her goal of attaining an Assistant Vice President position within the organization. They plan three Leadership Retreats each year to invest in their team’s professional development.
They completed a Diversity Certificate Program, demonstrating a commitment to personal growth and self-awareness. They support a facility Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity committee that provides education, training, and activities to support culturally competent care.
The nominee is a dynamic leader who is committed to progress through change. They created a Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program with a composite of five new CNLs and a CNL Program Coordinator to bring more master's prepared nurses to the bedside to improve patient outcomes. They implemented the master prepared position of Service Line Educator at their facility to elevate the quality of education provided to teammates.
During the pandemic surge, this nurse was innovative in transitioning an ADTU unit with monitoring capabilities into an ICU Overflow and COVID-19 unit to ensure the specific needs of these critically ill patients would be met. Once the pandemic surge diminished, this leader demonstrated inventiveness with resources by successfully transitioning the ICU Overflow Unit into the facility’s first Progressive Care Unit. When the initiation of a virtual Neurology service was started at their facility with minimal resources, they worked tirelessly over several years to upgrade equipment, obtain positions for consistent rounding staff to improve patient outcomes, and partnered with physicians to develop policy and procedures for standardized care.
The attribute that sets this nursing leader apart and makes them a truly outstanding nurse is the culture of family that they have instilled at their facility. The nominee cares for others as if they were their own loved ones and this philosophy trickles down through teammates, to the patients we serve, and out into the surrounding community. Recently, one of their teammates received the shocking news that they had a suspicious mass and needed to see an oncology specialist. The nominee leaped into action by coordinating with colleagues at the local cancer hospital and secured an appointment for the teammate within 24 hours. It is this profound commitment to others, often done behind the scenes without recognition, that exhibits both the values and culture of the DAISY Foundation and the mission of Atrium.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nominee sought to support their nurses who were experiencing burnout by creating a Nursing Retention Committee. The committee provides a platform for bedside nurses to present ideas to increase job satisfaction and boost morale. Nursing turnover has decreased by 21.9 % since the creation of this committee. The importance of Shared Governance can be seen by this leader’s consistency in deferring decisions to Unit Based Councils (UBCs) whenever possible so frontline teammates can have a voice in ideas and change that affect them. The nominee oversaw the creation of the facility’s Service Line Council to provide structure and support around Professional Governance.
This nurse leader takes accountability for the well-being of both teammates and patients. They completed Lean Teammate Safety Certification training with the guiding principles of respect and humility after yearly anniversary survey results disclosed that teammates felt unsafe at work. The nominee implemented a new process of targeted teammate education, daily huddle metric with visual aid, and event reviews to combat workplace violence which resulted in a 48% increase in Care Event reporting and a 38% increase in teammates reporting feeling safe at work. They additionally supported creating a multidisciplinary Behavior Emergency Support Team (BEST) to de-escalate patient behavior and promote safety in the workplace.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, they organized memorial services for teammates who passed in the facility’s Healing Garden so the family members and co-workers of those lost could come together to honor and mourn in a safe setting. The nominee implemented a Patient and Family Advisory Council consisting of past patients, family members, and caregivers to improve the patient and family experience by incorporating their insight and recommendations to directly influence facility policy, programs, and practices.
The nominee seeks opportunities for their facility to be a place of excellence for both patients and staff. They led the facility in their first Magnet designation and subsequent redesignation, as well as their initial Planetree Certification in Person-Centered Care and three redesignations. The commitment to maintaining these two designations, which only a handful of facilities in the US boast both, shows dedication to what staff fondly refer to as the “Spirit of Mercy” and the “why” behind the work that they do.
This nurse leader is passionate about volunteer work in their facility and community. They were integral in creating the “Helping Hands” volunteer hub with a variety of service opportunities that all teammates could participate in. Commitment to participating in the national DAISY Award program provides meaningful recognition to nurses. The leader also widely uses an institution-based recognition platform to personally acknowledge and reward teammates. The nominee has a true “open door” policy with the commitment to make herself available to any staff or patients who need her.
The nominee is a servant leader whose strength and courage were highlighted throughout the pandemic. They understood the increased need for leader visibility and were intentional in being present for staff, even staying overnight and coming in on days off to offer support. When rounding, you will notice that this nurse addresses staff by name and makes a point to invest time and energy in getting to know them as individuals.
They are committed to their staff’s personal and leadership development. In the last five years, they have onboarded nine new Nurse Managers and supported two through completing their doctorates. They personally mentored a Nurse Manager in the promotion to a Director of Nursing role and then further advanced to achieve her goal of attaining an Assistant Vice President position within the organization. They plan three Leadership Retreats each year to invest in their team’s professional development.
They completed a Diversity Certificate Program, demonstrating a commitment to personal growth and self-awareness. They support a facility Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity committee that provides education, training, and activities to support culturally competent care.
The nominee is a dynamic leader who is committed to progress through change. They created a Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program with a composite of five new CNLs and a CNL Program Coordinator to bring more master's prepared nurses to the bedside to improve patient outcomes. They implemented the master prepared position of Service Line Educator at their facility to elevate the quality of education provided to teammates.
During the pandemic surge, this nurse was innovative in transitioning an ADTU unit with monitoring capabilities into an ICU Overflow and COVID-19 unit to ensure the specific needs of these critically ill patients would be met. Once the pandemic surge diminished, this leader demonstrated inventiveness with resources by successfully transitioning the ICU Overflow Unit into the facility’s first Progressive Care Unit. When the initiation of a virtual Neurology service was started at their facility with minimal resources, they worked tirelessly over several years to upgrade equipment, obtain positions for consistent rounding staff to improve patient outcomes, and partnered with physicians to develop policy and procedures for standardized care.
The attribute that sets this nursing leader apart and makes them a truly outstanding nurse is the culture of family that they have instilled at their facility. The nominee cares for others as if they were their own loved ones and this philosophy trickles down through teammates, to the patients we serve, and out into the surrounding community. Recently, one of their teammates received the shocking news that they had a suspicious mass and needed to see an oncology specialist. The nominee leaped into action by coordinating with colleagues at the local cancer hospital and secured an appointment for the teammate within 24 hours. It is this profound commitment to others, often done behind the scenes without recognition, that exhibits both the values and culture of the DAISY Foundation and the mission of Atrium.