Employee Recognition

Employee Recognition

2010 Employee of the Year

Saibo Tunkara, RN, Clinical Administrative Resource
Saibo was a July 2010 Employee of the Month. A valued Valley employee for 16 years, Saibo was recognized for his dedication to Valley Values and his ability to consistently perform at a demonstrated high level, all with a smile. Here’s more of what Saibo's co-workers and nominators said about him: 

• Quality – Saibo consistently goes above and beyond. He demonstrates excellent clinical skills, a strong work ethic and provides outstanding customer service to patients, families, staff and physicians. 
• Compassion – He is one of the most patient-centric staff I know. He listens and responds to patients’ needs and is always kind to patients and staff alike.
• Community-Centered – Saibo is genuinely in tune with VMC’s positive image within the community. He conducts himself in a manner that shows the best of Valley Values and encourages staff members to do the same.
• Respect – There is mutual respect between Saibo and other staff. He is always positive in his outlook and respectful in dealings with others. 
• Teamwork – Saibo is known for his willingness to help throughout the facility. He always is mindful of all sides of an issue to do what’s right for our patients and staff. 
• Innovation – He often solves very complex matters with creativity. He regularly demonstrates his resourcefulness and innovation whenever presented with various situations that occur throughout the hospital.
• Patient Safety – Saibo’s commitment to patient safety is always on the forefront of his mind. He was recently demonstrated this commitment when he successfully calmed a very unstable ED patient from doing harm to himself or others.

Employee of the Month

There are many ways we show our employees how much we value them. One is through our Employee of the Month program, established to recognize those employees who not only excel in their jobs but also demonstrate Valley Values in action.   Because the Employee of the Month program is employee-driven, employees are encouraged to nominate fellow employees who demonstrate stellar performance. Once an employee is nominated, the information is reviewed anonymously by a committee of former employees of the month. Two employees of the month are chosen each month, and employees of the month in a year are then eligible to become employee of the year.

December Employees of the Month 

• QUALITY: Everything she does is quality. Because she takes pride in her work, the quality shows. She has such a strong work ethic. She goes above and beyond on a daily basis—I truly believe she’s in love with her job.
• COMPASSION: Her heart is full of compassion. She organizes cards being sent to co-workers, provides scrub techs with treats during CST week, and gives little treats to our ante-partum patients. She truly has a wonderful and giving heart. I tell her I wish I could be so thoughtful.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: I love the way she talks with our patients—the way old friends would talk. Here in the Birth Center, they love those bonds. She truly makes people feel at home here. Her positive and energetic attitude is very contagious.
• RESPECT: She gives respect and is respectful to all. Her co-workers respect her. She communicates in a respectful manner with patients, staff and physicians.
• TEAMWORK: She is the definition of teamwork, and is always willing to help wherever needed. She is the first to check in during a long procedure to be sure the proper equipment has been obtained by the nurses, or if anything further is needed.
• PATIENT SAFETY: She holds staff to a high standard in the OR. She will ensure proper sterile technique and keeps the OR running well.
• INNOVATION: She created a “bladder repair kit” that has been so helpful during the rare, stressful situation. She also created nail polish kits that new moms love.

• QUALITY: Eric always strives for top-notch customer service, and he holds his peers to the same standard. He’s diligent about reducing the number of patients who leave without treatment, and he puts his ‘all’ into his job.
• COMPASSION: He’s always polite, respectful and caring with patients, families and co-workers. He’s a go-to person if help is needed.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: He’s respectful to EMS personnel, and is always facilitating their quick turn-around so they can get back on the road and into service.
• RESPECT: He’s a dependable and outstanding team player. He’s highly respected by his co-workers and leadership. Eric shows nothing but respect and compassion to others.
• TEAMWORK: His nursing skills are above reproach; one of the finest in our department. He’s calm, caring, and efficient in extremely hectic situations. His attitude sets the tone. He’s what we expect of all our staff and co-workers to be.
• PATIENT SAFETY: Patient safety is always a priority for Eric. He seeks assistance when needed to assure all patients are cared for appropriately. He encourages co-workers to do the same. He utilizes additional resources as appropriate to maintain the safety of all patients.
• INNOVATION: He’s always working on improving the department, always sharing ideas and giving feedback. He has great ideas, and is consistently reliable for follow-through.

Mike Tack, ARRT, Rad Tech, North Benson Urgent Care and valued Valley employee for one year. Here’s what Mike’s dozen nominators said about him: 

• QUALITY: Mike comes to work each day energetic and upbeat. His work is always quality-driven. He goes beyond his primary job duties and assists daily in quality patient care by rooming patients and assisting the Medical Assistants.
• COMPASSION: Mike is one of the most compassionate and grounded people in the professional world. He makes each patient feel special, as though they’re the one ones that matter at the time. I swear you would think he’s an all-around “Do-It” man—his compassion for his patients and co-workers is amazing.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: He’s a strong advocate of the community and is able to bond quickly with patients and assure them they are welcome and cared about during their office visit.
• RESPECT: He has been exemplary since the day he began working here. His attitude toward his work and performance on the job is impressive, and his interpersonal and communication skills have allowed him to develop productive working relationships with clinicians and staff. He consistently puts other people first and it always willing to do whatever task is required to get the job done.
• PATIENT SAFETY: He is always aware of patient safety goals and continues to reinforce them on a daily basis. He’s very patient and explains everything to patients and makes sure they understand before leaving them.
• INNOVATION: He is always an active participant in staff meetings and has so many helpful and supportive ideas to help VMC be in the Top 10 nationally.
• TEAMWORK: I wish every clinic had a co-worker just like Mike—I can’t say enough of how fantastic we all think he is and that we’d be lost without his help, support, respect, teamwork, customer service and most of all compassion for his job at VMC. 

• QUALITY: Michelle strives for excellence in patient care. She demonstrates good critical thinking skills and recognizes well changes in patients’ conditions.
• COMPASSION: She treats patients as individuals and addresses special needs of the patient and family members.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: Michelle utilizes outside resources to facilitate discharges.
• RESPECT: Michelle accepts assignments with a smile, which she does frequently, even if having a demanding shift. She does her best to respect patients and co-workers.
• TEAMWORK: She’s always willing to help others as needed both as a staff and charge nurse; while striving to provide optimal care, she is always willing to lend a helping hand to her co-workers.
• INNOVATION: Michelle accepts the role of relief charge as needed and is a preceptor to new hires—she brings wonderful qualities to her role.
• PATIENT SAFETY: Patient Safety is on the forefront of her mind; she notifies managers if situations arise that are not optimal for patient care.
  

 September Employees of the Month 

• QUALITY: She is extremely proactive and always jumping in to assist. She takes on extra projects, is extremely efficient, trustworthy, accurate and a fabulous resource. She’s one of a kind.
• COMPASSION: While she can be quiet, she’s caring and always there to assist nursing staff and patients. She’s acted in code situations and helped get TPA to the bedside of a stroke patient at nearly the same time.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: She acts as a liaison to our patients. Her culture follow-up calls and prescription changes as needed.
• RESPECT: She shows nothing but respect to co-workers and patients; as a result, she is highly respected. She’s hardworking, dedicated and shows enthusiasm for her job and compassion for co-workers. We wish we could replicate her!
• TEAMWORK: She’s our right hand! She’s always there to help, and is always one step ahead. She is always helping throughout the department—we think she is in two zones at once!
• PATIENT SAFETY/INNOVATION: She helped develop the pediatric dosing chart, and is always taking on new tasks and projects. 

• QUALITY: He is extremely proactive, always one step ahead and has an incredible knowledge base. He’s like a walking, talking drug guide. He’s very efficient and always has a great attitude. We lovingly call him a ‘Ninja Pharmacist’—you turn around and he’s right there with meds that were just ordered!
• COMPASSION: He displays compassion to even the most difficult patients. He spent more than 30 minutes teaching about Lovenox to a very difficult patient. He shows nothing but enthusiasm for his job and compassion for his co-workers.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: He acts as a liaison—he calls patients to inquire how they’re doing and change medications based on lab results from the previous day.
• RESPECT: He shows nothing but respect to co-workers and in turn is highly respected. He’s one of a kind—hardworking, dedicated—I wish we could replicate him!
• TEAMWORK: He is always there! The doctor puts an order in and he’s at your side with the medication. We don’t know how he does that!!
• PATIENT SAFETY/INNOVATION: He assisted in developing a pediatric dosing chart.

August Employees of the Month  

Maria Dakan, Account Manager, Renton Occupational Health Services and valued Valley employee for nearly 10 years. Here’s what Maria’s nominators said about her: 

• QUALITY: She is the Best in Show! She always produces quality work, she listens well to others, so her ability to relay information to computer systems or people is the best in quality.
• COMPASSION: She cares about everyone, and it shows in her follow-up to our clients’ patients and staff – she is also loved by everyone.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: She volunteers for so many things. She’s always willing to help and will be the one you can depend on when you need help-be it for a meeting or a staff celebration.
• RESPECT: She has the ability to know how to deal with situations in a respectful way that makes you feel like your job is worthy and worth her time.
• TEAMWORK: She jumps in to help when she sees the need—it may be as simple as greeting a patient or retrieving an item for someone. She’s always a great help and a pleasure to work with.
• INNOVATION: She organized a donation effort at VMC to help raise money for the Children’s Organ Transplant Association
• PATIENT SAFETY: She has been involved in the development of several new clinic procedures that ensure patient safety, such as implementing a patient questionnaire and information sheet prior to immunizations and TB tests

Chou Sa-Ngoun, Patient Service Representative, Midwives at Valley, and valued Valley employee for two-and-a-half years. Here’s what Chou’s nominators said about her: 

• QUALITY: She often goes above and beyond the cause and performs her work duties with the highest quality. She ensures every aspect and duty of her job is performed to the highest of possible standards
• COMPASSION: She consistently exhibits compassion toward her fellow employees through her support of them by what she actively says and does. She’s a tireless advocate on behalf of our patients
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: She continually shows her community-centered activism by here attendance supporting VMC and its mission within the community at community-centered events
• RESPECT: She constantly treats patients and staff with respect and compassion even when faced with adversity in the workplace. She shows a calm, cool, rational behavior and recently was instrumental in calming an upset patient
• TEAMWORK: She always, always is willing to assist, help and support fellow employees in a timely fashion. She is mission-critical to the functioning of this clinic and its mission within the community.
• INNOVATION: She provides innovative ideas and help to make the workplace more efficient
• PATIENT SAFETY: She continually supports and reinforces patient safety with respect to national patient safety goals

• QUALITY: She is a very caring nurse who demonstrates clinical excellence, prudence and expertise in her daily RN work. She created an education poster board using current literature to educate/update her nurse colleagues on Moderate Sedation standards of care and presented it at the IRCU staff meeting. In addition to identifying and promoting continuing education on the unit, she is a willing preceptor and resources for all staff.
• COMPASSION: In the IRCU, staff care for a diverse population of patients and she works diligently to ensure her patients and their families come full circle in regards to understanding their procedure from beginning to end. Her patients feel informed and safe in her care and she is extremely attentive of their needs. 
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: As evening shift nurse, she conducts Pre-procedural phone calls to educate the patient prior to procedure and to find out if there are additional or special needs (such as interpreter, increased need for transport assistance, etc.)
• RESPECT: She is cheerful, yet direct in her communications and keeps the unit running smoothly when assigned to the charge nurse role. She manages throughput in this very busy unit and does this well by multitasking and still communicating effectively and respectfully. 
• TEAMWORK: She is someone her colleagues can rely on to be willing and flexible. She picks up extra shifts when needed and makes herself available during off hours to help CCU care for IRCU patients. If IRCU census is low, she calls the IV team to see if she can help.
• INNOVATION: She will now be the Subject Matter Expert for the Cath Lab and IRCU on the EPIC project. She is great for the role because she is a visionary and keeps abreast of current technological advances in this field and she can articulate the nursing process well.
• PATIENT SAFETY: She is an avid advocate for improving quality patient care and safety. She conducts thorough assessments, meets her patients needs and can think critically to ensure the safest care. When she is a Charge Nurse, she manages throughput by forecasting the day and ensuring safe nursing care. She is a driver of standardization of care and education on the unit. 

Jume Sutton, RN, The Joint/Spine Center, and valued Valley employee for six-and-a-half years. Here’s what Jume’s nominators said about her: 

• QUALITY: She always gives the highest quality care that she can. We never hear a negative word or complaint about her. All of the patients say that she gives great care and she teaches the patients as she goes about her care.
• COMPASSION: She loves taking care of her patients and she always has a smile on her face. We have seen her sit with her patient and hold their hand while the patient was having a difficult day and talk with the patient until the patient calms down. The patient was grateful and commented that she continued to heal from the heart outwards!
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: She stepped up and started teaching the Joint Seminar when the regular instructor could not do it.
• RESPECT: She always puts her patients first. She closes the door to protect her patient’s privacy when she enters the room and calls them by the name they prefer. She treats the patients like they were her own parents. 
• TEAMWORK: She is always ready to give a hand. When a call light goes off, she is the first in the room to help the patients, even when they are not assigned to her. She is always ready to help everyone, any way she can.
• INNOVATION: Whenever a new device becomes available to use, she is right there, ready for training!!
• PATIENT SAFETY: She was one of the first nurses to embrace the bar code scanners for patient safety. She teaches others how to use the system and she always scores as one of the best on the unit. 

 

 

June Employees of the Month  

 

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Stacy Miller, RN, The Birth Center, and valued Valley employee for six years. Here’s what Stacy’s nominators said about her: 

• QUALITY: She is a huge part of our unit-based committee here and provides a great voice for the staff. She works hard to make ours a great work environment.
• COMPASSION: She shows co-workers and patients alike how she’s an amazing nurse simply by her kindness to her patients.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: Stacy is very involved in her neighborhood. She’s one of those people who would stop what she’s doing to pick up litter. She really does care so much.
• RESPECT: Co-workers, physicians, and others here not only respect her but feel she shows respect to them in return.
• TEAMWORK: We love, love, love when she’s the charge nurse on the floor. She is always up and moving on the unit, advocates for co-workers and works really hard and helps when needed to ensure the whole unit is moving smoothly.
• INNOVATION: Stacy has an amazing work ethic and works hard on staffing trouble-shooting.
• PATIENT SAFETY: Patient safety is her No. 1 priority. Stacy is often asked for by name by returning patients! She takes time to educate and empower patients during what can be stressful and emotional times for our patients. Through Stacy, patients leave feeling better and happy with care received from VMC.

 

Amy Trost, MST, Emergency Department, and valued Valley employee for four years. Here’s what Amy’s nominators said about her: 

• QUALITY: Amy gives perfect care. She keeps it patient-centric, is empathetic with patients and families and displays outstanding customer service skills.
• COMPASSION: Amy = compassion.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: We repeatedly hear her say how proud she is to work at Valley Medical Center.
• RESPECT: Amy is the epitome of what an MST should be. She’s highly respected by her peers and management.
• TEAMWORK: She’s always seeking to help others and always on the go.
• INNOVATION: She shares ideas for improvement as a member of the ED Best Practices Committee.
• PATIENT SAFETY: Patient-centered care is her specialty. She’s exceptional in keeping patients safe, comfortable and informed.

May Employees of the Month 

• QUALITY: Stephanie’s patient documentation is excellent. She has the ability to treat patients on all hospital units. Stephanie has helped many staff transition from their role as a student to their new role as a licensed Occupational Therapist.
• COMPASSION: She willingly adds patients to her schedule to ensure patients receive quality and timely care. Stephanie is viewed as a well-like mentor who takes time to listen to new team members.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: She participates in community events: backpack fittings, OT month, etc.
• RESPECT: She treats all teammates with respect and is a strong role model for staff. Stephanie is able to present difficult issues in a professional and open manner. She openly listens to treatment ideas and provides constructive and helpful feedback
• TEAMWORK: She’s a leader within our department. Stephanie participates in day-to-day projects and has shown success in facilitating difficult conversation recovery between staff members.
• INNOVATION: Stephanie revised the Occupational Therapy student program that she today oversees. She has also streamlined day-to-day prioritization of patients.
• PATIENT SAFETY: Stephanie accurately assesses patients for safe discharge home.

• QUALITY: Tawny takes quality a step further. She anticipates problems and works to prevent them. Her standards for quality cannot be compared to the standard. She strives for the highest quality possible in each aspect of her job. Tawny’s work only needs to be done once. She is careful to asses any possible outcome of any major change that could affect the organization. Tawny is the “Goddess of the Network”.
• COMPASSION: She keeps out users in mind for any work she performs. She is very understanding of the impact of her job on the ability to perform theirs. Although she doesn’t work with patients directly, she knows the patient is at the end of her work. Tawny is patient and kind in all her interactions. You can tell she loves what she’s doing.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: She’s very civic-minded and takes an interest in outside environmental and community topics.
• RESPECT: Tawny works well with all members of the team and demonstrates respect for teamwork. Tawny treats others respectfully and considers differing opinions as possible solution alternatives.
• TEAMWORK: Under pressure, Tawny remains calm and treats people respectfully. She strives to help her team succeed and also works hard as a mentor. She never hesitates to be part of a team. Tawny’s always been integral to our team—without her, we would not be able to do what we do each day!
• INNOVATION: She’s a problem-solver; Tawny is willing to try something new in order to achieve desired outcomes. She uses innovation to accomplish tasks and welcomes challenges with vigor and a smile.
• PATIENT SAFETY: She’s well aware of a well-functioning network in the organization’s work, and what she does she focuses on lessening the impact to patient care teams. Tawny never loses sight of how everything done in the organization is focused on patients and their safety.

Natasha Parker, PCA, Cardiac/Telemetry and valued Valley employee for eight-and-a-half years. Here’s what Natasha’s co-workers said about her: 

• QUALITY: The quality of her work is outstanding. Patients always have good things to say about her. She maintains a patient’s dignity if a patient is ever in a vulnerable state.
• COMPASSION: Her attention to detail does not stop with the patient but extends out to the family when attending to needs; she diligently helps patient family members get settled for the night.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: Her caring and compassionate nature does not end with work – she’s very active with local charities.
• RESPECT: With our multi-diverse population, she honors and respects other cultures. There’s not a night that goes by when I work with her where I don’t hear a compliment about her from fellow staff, patients and families.
• TEAMWORK: She not only takes assignments eagerly but helps others without being asked. Each and every night that I work, I know we are going to have a good night when she is on. It doesn’t matter if it’s crazy-busy or chaotic, she will have the whole staff working together and making the night more pleasant or rewarding.
• INNOVATION: She is always enthusiastic with changes and assists with smooth transition.
• PATIENT SAFETY: She actively anticipates patient needs to help decrease patient events. She quickly responds to patient bed alarms and ensures safe patients. Working with Natasha is a joy!

• QUALITY: Brenden is dedicated to get the job done right and will do what it takes to ensure the problem is fixed or setup done correctly. He always strives for quality.
• COMPASSION: He is very understanding of how the patient comes first at VMC and works hard to get the job done to best suit the needs of the customer and patient for a better overall experience for VMC staff and a better patient experience too.
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: Brenden supports the clinic network and supports any other service area that needs help, the work he does directly contributes to the community.
• RESPECT: I’ve always seen him treat others with respect, with emotions in check, and he takes responsibility for tasks. Interaction with customers is exemplary.
• TEAMWORK: Brenden always steps in when able and is cool and collected - really amazing that way. Teamwork is a great strength for Brenden. He keeps morale high and has taken initiative on multiple efforts to help lead others to success.
• INNOVATION: Brenden has shown ways to deal with issues that no one else thinks of. He consistently makes difficult challenges seem easy, and excels at creativity in securing equipment and streamlining processes on a budget.
• PATIENT SAFETY: He knows what the requirements are for patient safety and works hard to ensure guidelines are followed in his work. On multiple occasions, Brenden ensures equipment is functional and working for staff, which contributes to high levels of patient safety.

March Employees of the Month

Denise Campbell, Surg Tech, Perioperative Services, and valued Valley employee for eight years. Here’s what her nominators said about her: 

• QUALITY: She’s always awesome at putting 100% into everything she does. A true one-of-a-kind who is precise and puts extra effort into her job to get it right. Dependable, knowledgeable, detail-oriented, responsible.
   
• COMPASSION: Denise is conscientious, respectful and always thinks of others first. She always has time to say hi to her patients before surgery and attends to the needs of patients and co-workers.
   
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: She is a team player who is aware of her community. She participates in neighborhood clean-ups and takes care of people around her who need help.
   
• RESPECT: Denise is polite, thoughtful and takes other people’s feelings into consideration at all times. Whoever you are, she treats you with the utmost respect.
   
• PATIENT SAFETY: Denise always shows that patient safety is her #1 priority without compromise. She’s attentive to expired items and is meticulous in ensuring instruments are always sterile to prevent any infection.
   
• INNOVATION: She’s always thinking of and sharing ideas on how to improve the efficiency of the OR—and improve patient care and safety at the same time.
   
• TEAMWORK: I can always count on Denise to be there to help; she is flexible and always asks what she can do to make my work easy. She’s the epitome of teamwork and brings that certain ‘sparkle’ to a team. Working with her is a true joy.

Tracey Drake, Pharmacy Tech II, Pharmacy, and valued Valley employee for nine years. Here’s what Tracey’s nominators said about her: 

• QUALITY: Tracey audits and assesses all pertinent Pyxis Medstation transactions to assure compliance with medical center policies and procedures are followed.
   
• COMPASSION: Tracey genuinely cares about our patients; it’s important to her that all patients receive the best care possible.
   
• COMMUNITY-CENTERED: Tracey loves working for and at VMC. The effort and time she spends working to make VMC a better place in our community is a great contribution.
   
• RESPECT: Tracey is respectful of her peers and co-workers. She understands her role in patient care and respects patient needs and expectations for their care.
   
• TEAMWORK: Tracey is a consummate team player and is always willing to go to the units to help teammates. She works as a teacher and educator to the staff on Pyxis and other systems.
   
• INNOVATION: Tracey is/was instrumental in the re-implementation of the Pyxis drug distribution system; her innovative mindset facilitated implementation and helped us overcome any obstacles in the process
   
• PATIENT SAFETY: Tracey is a leader in patient safety within the department. She is consistently monitoring systems and processes to recommend and make improvements to make systems safer for our patients.

February Employees of the Month

Kim Blake, Patient Service Representative, Valley Neuroscience Institute and valued Valley employee for 1 ½ years. Here’s what Kim’s nominators said about her:

• Kim takes time to ensure it’s done right the first time in everything she does.
• Kim demonstratedly takes the time to help patients and fellow staff; she always has a smile and is kind and compassionate.
• Kim is an active listener with patients and staff, which is so important. She always has kind words about people.
• You can ask Kim to help and she is always willing. She is very dedicated to her job.
• It’s clear she always asks for patient identifiers; She takes time to document in chart and with all messages.
• Kim takes time to assist patients who may be lost with where they are to go.
• Kim goes above and beyond by walking papers to patients to save them effort of getting up—something to be appreciated after back surgery.
• Kim arrives early to work and is always smiling. She is kind to all patients and is very compassionate; she is fun, energetic and a very positive person.

January Employees of the Month

Naghmi Akmal, Ultrasound Tech, Valley Breast Center, and valued Valley employee for nearly five years. Here’s what Naghmi’s nominators said about her: 

• Naghmi is a model employee who displays Valley Values in every interaction with staff and patients
• She is well-known to provide great service and care to every single patient who walks in the door, individually and as part of a team
• Naghmi displays patient safety in her ability to be detail-oriented, making sure that appropriate exams/procedures are performed on the correct patient
• She is always willing to work with others to provide the best patient care, and shows compassion in the time she takes with each patient: She patiently explains in her gentle way what they can expect to put minds at ease
• Nagmi is very thorough by always double-checking (sometimes triple!) to make sure of accuracy in procedures; she even suggested a new process to double-check procedures prior to a patients’ appointment
• Naghmi demonstrated compassion by taking time from her lunch hour to provide service to a very nervous patient who felt it was important to be seen
• She remains calm during stressful days and always does her best with a smile
• Naghmi was nominated by eight of her co-workers!

Kris Olson, Systems Administrator, Information Technology, and valued Valley employee for 2 ½ years. Here’s what Kris’ nominators said about him: 

• Kris’ standards for quality cannot be compared to the standard; he strives for the highest quality possible in each job aspect.
• Kris exudes compassion for patients and within their specific department; he knows the patient is at the end of what he does.
• He is very civic-minded and takes interest in environmental and community topics
• Kris has the respect of all who he works with – inside the department and out.
• He treats others with respect and keeps and open mind by considering opinions from others as ideas for solutions
• Kris never hesitates to be part of a team. As testing work is rolled out, he sees such work as a challenge and a responsibility of the whole department.
• His job requires innovative ways to accomplish tasks each day and he treats each one with vigor and a smile on his face.
• As healthcare relies on technology now more than ever, the work Kris does puts Valley Medical Center in a position to provide the system’s high availability and reliance that protects our patients every day.
• His commitment to the organization and patient are unparalleled.

 December Employees of the Month

Joyce Cardoza, RN, Perioperative Services, and valued Valley employee for 11 years. Here’s what Joyce’s nominators said about her: 

• Quality: Joyce consistently demonstrates excellence in perioperative nursing with high personal standards. As a leader within the OR, she has high-performance expectations for her co-workers that impact positive patient outcomes within the OR.
• Compassion: She’s always the first to rally the staff when significant events take place in a co-workers’ life. She encourages staff to formally recognize co-workers through EOM nominations and publicly recognizes staff contributions.
• Community-Centered: Joyce represented VMC in recent Dragon Boat races (that served as a fundraiser for supporting women in cancer recovery); she established the rowing rhythm that resulted in a first-place finish for VMC!
• Respect: She values the opinions of others and consistently seeks input from co-workers. Joyce always maintains positive interactions at all times—her wonderful sense of humor is an effective asset in interactions.
• Teamwork: Joyce always is willing to lend a hand wherever needed. She effectively utilizes resources to promote clinical growth and expertise within the team. She is fair, honest, and highly respected by nursing and physicians. Joyce always demonstrates a “can-do” attitude that is emulated by team members.
• Innovation: She loves the challenge of implementing improvements to daily workflow within the OR. Joyce encourages suggestions from team members for simplifying processes.
• Patient Safety: Patient safety is evident in all of her actions and decisions in the daily management of the OR through staff assignments, case progression and compliance to regulatory standards. She played an active role in ensuring co-workers took part in the annual recent patient safety fair.

Vicki Binns, Genetic Counselor, Midwives at VMC, and valued Valley employee for four years. Here’s what Vicki’s nominators said about her: 

• Quality: Vicki is one of the best in her field. She practices evidence-based medicine, and she stays on top of labs to ensure accurate delivery of information to patients.
• Compassion: When dealing with patients, Vicki is very gentle in the way she delivers news, especially when results are unfavorable. She ensures patients understand findings, and offers any assistance to achieve such a goal.
• Community-Centered: Vicki is a great liaison in the community. She promotes our services to others and keeps a good channel of communication with community partners.
• Respect: She treats patients, employees and physicians with professionalism under all circumstances, and treats all as one. Co-workers feel she is very approachable for questions.
• Teamwork: Vicki is a person we can all count on. She is dependable, is efficient, and always willing to help when needed.
• Innovation: She is constantly researching new ways and ideas of doing things better. Working smarter is her goal!
• Patient Safety: Vicki creates a culture of safety and focuses on national patient safety goals in her daily activities.

November Employees of the Month

Janki Sumer, Patient Care Assistant, Nursing Float, and valued Valley employee for nearly 11 years. Here’s what Janki’s nominators said about her: 

• Patient Safety: Janki is always on top of the job and time when she is at work; she makes sure patient rooms are always kept clear of foreign objects.
• Quality: Janki makes sure all patient rooms are kept clean and tidy and stands to achieve the best quality of work.
• Compassion: She always attends to patients’ needs as if they were his or her own family. The care Janki gives is demonstratedly compassionate.
• Community-Centered Janki is always ready to teach new ways of working and communicating with her staff and co-workers.
• Respect: She always is on time to work and shows a great deal of enthusiasm when working with the patients, and she cares for their privacy.
• Teamwork: Janki willingly accepts any assignment and always communicates with co-workers on what needs to be met for her shift.
• Innovation: She tries new techniques and ways of working to get the job done efficiently and orderly. Janki never says no to new ideas – instead, she tries them out with a smile.

David Kirkham, Sr. Critical Application Analyst, Information Technology, and valued Valley employee for two-and-a-half years. Here’s what David’s nominators said about him: 

• Quality: Every assignment David receives is absolutely complete.
• Compassion: When David is called about an issue, he listens completely and reassures that the problem will be taken care of.
• Community-Centered: David works as a team member, making sure that those who use specific equipment are satisfied; even when not on call, he understands the urgency of time and will coordinate with the team to get things done.
• Respect: Every time I speak with David he treats me as if I am the person having an issue with one of our systems ... I’m treated like a customer, and that feels really good.
• Teamwork: David updates his responsibilities in a timely fashion, so if someone calls on and updates, I am never left without information. If it is not his project, he will coordinate with the proper people to get the work complete. I never feel out of the loop when he is given an assignment.
• Innovation: If David cannot be physically available, he is via phone. And although communication is not a new or innovative thing, David is always 100% in contact and letting everyone know what is going on.
• Patient Safety: I believe David’s ability in coordinating and getting issues resolved in a timely manner contributes tremendously to patient safety. 

October Employees of the Month

Kate Kelley, Rehabilitation Services, and valued Valley employee for five years. Here’s what Kate’s nominators said about her: 

• Kate is an excellent team member – her work is accurate and attractive, and problem-solving skills are outstanding.
• Kate responds immediately to the needs of others. No matter what the day brings, her calm personality is very pleasant.
• She puts the needs of others above hers on a daily basis.
• Kate has the respect of her team members for her professionalism, knowledge, problem-solving skills and availability when she is very much needed.
• Her logical mind helps solve problems that astound her co-workers.
• Kate is the epitome of a team player. The work she handles for many of her team members makes each feel special.
• Kate’s neat and organized manner helps keep the entire department safe and mindful of safety for team members and patients alike.

Gail Lightner, Valley Family Medicine, and valued Valley employee for nearly 14 years. Here’s what Gail’s nominators said about her: 

• Gail is an expert resource regarding clinic registration process/issues whose input is asked for on a regular basis.
• She is soft-spoken, empathetic and is known to have a great rapport with patients.
• Gail is always looking at what is best for our patients and often goes the extra mile without hesitation.
• She respects the responsibilities of “each link in the chain” at Valley Family Medicine. She listens well & empathizes with patients.
• Gail does whatever it takes to get the job done as a team member. She respects that we are a large clinic/organization and we have to work together for successful patient interactions.
• Gail has worked on the front lines in our area for 12-plus years, so she knows what works and what doesn't – yes she is open-minded and willing to try anything!
• She is well-tuned in to patients checking in and bringing up any potential patient safety issues.

September Employees of the Month

Melody Soucy, RN, Emergency Department, and valued Valley employee for 13 years. Here’s what Melody’s co-workers said about her: 

• Quality – Melody strives to ensure all patients are seen in a timely manner; and encourages fellow team members to always do their best in a positive manner without compromising patient care or safety
• Compassion – She always strives to keep the customer in mind and always ensures quick, compassionate and exemplary care for patients and staff.
• Community-Centered – Melody takes pride in the workplace. She is a great liaison between the ED and community first responders
• Respect – Melody is highly respected by all staff, including physician partners and management. She consistently shows the same respect to patients and co-workers alike.
• Teamwork – She is always there to help the staff without them asking, and makes herself available whenever and wherever she can. She was an integral team member in the South Tower move.
• Innovation – Melody is always researching for best practices to improve our department, and is not shy about sharing thoughts and ideas
• Patient Safety – Melody consistently rounds with staff & patients, ensuring all needs are met. Patient Safety is always on the forefront of her mind.

Cindy McGonigal, RNC, The Birth Center, and valued Valley employee for 26 years. Here’s what Cindy’s co-workers said about her:

• Cindy performs demanding duties when needed and is very conscientious with staffing when it comes to productivity.
• Always a patient advocate, she teaches co-workers to not back down for what is right.
• Cindy makes her co-workers laugh and is a STELLAR worker who truly does care for co-workers.
• She shows that she bonds with many of her patients; those rooms are always filled with laughter.
• Cindy performs as a preceptor for almost half the year, and her skills list is long and impressive! She can serve in numerous roles in our department.
• Cindy was instrumental with the OB-ED start-up. She also is a leader to new employees.
• She has even called on a day off to check in with patients and make sure all is well – we call that pretty great customer service!