TCMH Managers Graduate from MHA Leadership Series
May 16, 2016Marlene Collins is Employee of the Month
May 16, 2016In a special recognition event for all the nurses and certified nurse assistants (CNAs) that work at Texas County Memorial Hospital, a nurse and a CNA were chosen for special honors on May 6.
Shanda Melton (center) Texas County Memorial Hospital nurse of the year, with Doretta Todd-Willis (left), TCMH chief nursing officer, and John Sawyer, medical surgical department manager.
Melton, a registered nurse in the TCMH medical surgical department, has been employed by the hospital for six years.
“Shanda is awesome,” John Sawyer, medical surgical department director, said.
Sawyer explained that Melton takes a leadership role on the medical surgical floor by taking responsibility for all patients and processes when she’s working.
“Shanda is a ‘go to’ person for the other members of the nursing staff,” Sawyer said. “She works with the students from all the schools that send our students to us, and I regularly use her as a preceptor for new nursing hires.”
Melton also sees certain patients in their homes following their discharge from TCMH as part of the TCMH house call program for patients that are likely to be re-admitted.
“Shanda’s compassion for our patients is above and beyond,” Sawyer said.
Jones is a certified nurse assistant in the TCMH medical surgical department, and she has worked at TCMH for 11 years. This is the second time Jones has received the TCMH CNA of the Year award.
Modena Jones (center) Texas County Memorial Hospital CNA of the year, with Doretta Todd-Willis (left), TCMH chief nursing officer, and John Sawyer, medical surgical department manager.
“Modena’s work ethic is the best you can have,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer described Jones as a well-rounded CNA that provides “great customer service and gets done every job that needs to be done”.
“Modena is a great patient advocate, and she is not afraid to speak up to others about what she believes her patients need,” Sawyer said. “She helps everyone.”
The nurse and CNA of the year received $250 cash, a plaque, an engraved crystal trophy and fresh flowers.
All Nurses and CNAs from nursing departments throughout TCMH were nominees for the annual nursing awards if they had worked at least two years at the hospital and if they had worked at least 1,040 hours over the past year. All TCMH employees were asked to vote for one nominee in each category, and awards were given based on the popular vote.
Also during the week, a mandatory nursing skills lab was provided for the nursing staff. Eleven stations provided education—some of which was hands on—on topics such as wound care, patient restraints, fetal heart tones, infection control and pharmacology.
Scrubs and Beyond of St. Louis came to TCMH to allow nurses and other employees the opportunity to shop for uniforms during the day.
Nurses are Superheroes cake
TCMH currently employs 126 nurses and 23 CNAs. The nurses and their assistants work in many departments of the hospital—medical surgical, obstetrics, emergency room, surgery, intensive care, home health, hospice and clinics.