Wow. October was a busy month! But, it was a “good” busy, with our LPN hiring process well underway, recognition of Care Management, Emergency Nurses, MAs, PAs, Respiratory Therapy, Infection Prevention, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Healthcare Quality, Health Education and Sterile Processing, our eight “40 under 40” Nurse Leaders, our “Great 100 Nurses in Arkansas,” and […]

One of questions many of you are thinking is probably, “When will everything get better?” I’m thrilled to finally be able to answer, “Hopefully very soon!” First, COVID numbers here at UAMS and across Arkansas continue to improve. The Arkansas Department of Health reported earlier this week that 206 people were hospitalized in our state, […]

Last month marked my three-year anniversary as Chief Nursing Officer. When I stepped into this role, I had been fortunate to work with the amazing UAMS Nursing team for many years, and I was looking forward to working with you on many opportunities, but I had no idea about the challenges ahead. As I have […]

Remember when the COVID pandemic began two and a half years ago and there was no toilet paper on store shelves? As more people started working from home, there were no computers, web cameras, monitors or laptops. Then, supply chain issues created random shortages of everything from cream cheese to cars. With the Russian invasion […]

As we welcome the 70 recent new graduate RNs who are joining our UAMS nursing team this summer, I’ve reflected back on the early days of my nursing career. I went to nursing school because I wanted to care for patients at the bedside. I started my career as a new grad nurse in the […]

I’d like to urge each of you to complete the UAMS Employee Engagement Survey between now and Friday, June 17. The survey is open to all employees hired before Feb. 16, your responses are confidential, and this is your chance to let our leadership team know how we can improve your experience as a UAMS […]

Happy Nurses Week! We officially kicked off this year’s week of recognition of nursing at UAMS yesterday morning with a kick-off and blessing of the hands. It was a special and moving way to begin our week. Tonight, nurses across Arkansas will be honored as bridges and office buildings in downtown Little Rock are lit […]

Happy Spring! I have been a nurse for 28 years and have seen many changes during this time – some positive and others not so much. One of these is the lost art of the narrative. When I was a young nurse, we met our patients, assessed them and gathered their “story.” We then documented […]

Happy Employee Appreciation Day! These words may sound hollow given all that you have gone through in the past year, but I want to assure you that each of you are truly appreciated and valued for your contributions to UAMS. I get it. Times are tough right now, tougher than almost all of us have […]

As I’ve mentioned before, Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. It’s always been special for me because the majority of my at-the-bedside nursing career was as a pediatric cardiac nurse, and Valentine’s Day coincides with heart month and the Go Red for Women campaign. I hope you remembered to wear red today as […]