Nursing Stories
Joscyln Patrick
Joscyln Patrick, Advanced Practice Provider, is a champion for children. Her pioneering spirit leads to innovative ideas, one of many reasons she is being honored by D Magazine through the 2019 Excellence in Nursing awards. From bedside nurse to nurse practitioner, Joscyln’s advanced thinking consistently paves the way for enhanced patient care.
“Joscyln is a very thoughtful, passionate and intentional person,” says Julie Wells, Team Leader, Heart Center, Nurse Practitioner. “She was a wonderful bedside nurse because I trusted that she would be doing the best and right thing at all times. That carried over as a Nurse Practitioner, engaging with the families and patients to discover new ways to provide services.”
In addition to her daily role of working as a nurse and educator in the cardiac step-down unit, where patients are anticipating surgery or preparing to go home, Joscyln also takes note of unaddressed needs. Many babies and children in the Cardiovascular ICU are there for extended lengths of time, missing out on neurological growth. Joscyln noticed this issue and helped develop a solution through the recently established Cardiac Neurodevelopment Program. Joscyln played an integral role in expanding this program to the inpatient side, creating a more comprehensive system which provides neurological care from the very beginning of a cardiology patient’s diagnosis. The team is looking to expand this program to other services in the future.
“This program is cutting edge across the nation and I can’t think of someone who would be more deserving of this recognition,” Julie says. “Joscyln is outstanding. She is excellent and a great advocate for our patient population.”
Erika Grimes
The dedicated spirit of Erika Grimes, Director, Clinical Education, Learning Institute, consistently paves the way for our system’s success. With more than 16 years of experience at Children’s Health, Erika serves as the director of overall operations for the Clinical Education department, responsible for the ongoing development and on-boarding of all clinical team members. D Magazine noticed Erika’s innovative leadership and recently recognized her with an Excellence in Nursing award, highlighting her irreplaceable commitment to equipping team members with the skills needed to provide the highest quality care.
David Campbell, Senior Director, Organizational Learning, Learning Institute, says process improvement is one of Erika’s key strengths. “She will see a gap or need and then develop a solution to solve it. She’ll do it without ever being asked,” For example, two years ago, her team was looking to improve the financial health and efficiency of our on-boarding system, specifically focused on decreasing orientation times for clinical team members. Fueled by her innovation, Erika developed new processes which cut the time by 17 percent, lowered first-year turnover and improved overall clinical quality numbers.
Erika also has oversight of the Vizient Nurse Residency Program, the one-year program for new graduate nurses who are transitioning from student nurse to professional. She wanted to become a nationally accredited program, so she spearheaded the effort, including a 100+ page document and three-day site visit. In June of 2018, Children’s Health became the second pediatric hospital in the nation to have an accredited nurse residency program through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
It’s clear to see why Erika is being recognized by D Magazine. Erika’s leadership displays her “nurse’s heart.” “Not only does she put her heart into every person, project and program she leads, but she is truly a compassionate caregiver to all,” David says.
Andrea Torzone
The safety of every patient is our top priority, and Andrea Torzone, Advanced Practice Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Cardiac ICU, does all she can to make sure our mission is fulfilled. As a teacher, she empowers clinical team members with the tools they need to minimize harm to patients, including the prevention of hospital-acquired conditions and avoidable readmissions. Andrea is creative with her approach, thinking of clever sayings to help team members remember their obligation to keeping children safe. In honor of her remarkable commitment, Andrea recently received one of D Magazine’s 2019 Excellence in Nursing awards.
“If we suddenly notice a spike in potential preventable readmissions or hospital acquired conditions, Andrea takes an in-depth dive into the patient’s experience and figures out what may be the cause,” says Lindy Moake, Manager, Advanced Practice. “She is committed to keeping children safe.”
Andrea is also a reliable mentor. She helps other team members develop their ideas and put them into action.
“She is extremely professional, very respectful and a wonderful listener,” Lindy says. “Andrea’s role as a clinical nurse specialist is foundational to helping empower our team members to give the highest quality care.”
Andrea’s careful attention to patient safety is an irreplaceable asset to the Children’s Health team. Her commitment to excellence shines and she has undoubtedly earned this recognition.
Lindsey Patton
Where there’s an opportunity to improve patient care, Lindsey Patton, Advanced Practice Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, is there to come up with a solution. Since she began her journey at Children’s Health in the Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in 2014, she’s been passionately focused on how she, and her team, can best care for patients by listening to families and developing new programming in response to their needs. Lindsey’s empathetic spirit is now being recognized by D Magazine through her distinction as a 2019 Excellence in Nursing award recipient.
Lindsey serves as a leader of the CCBD Family Advisory Council, where families look to her as a trusted resource and reliable friend. Brennan Lewis, Director, Patient Education & Engagement, Nursing Administration, first met Lindsey as a student. She was impressed from the start.
“From that moment, I knew she was going to bring life-changing ideas to Children’s Health. I think this award is so well deserved,” Brennan says. “When you think about a team member who embodies all our values, she immediately comes to the top of my mind. She is always creating new solutions and discovering ways to improve care.”
Lindsey’s interest in clinical trials and research is one example of her commitment to improving patient care. Lindsey was pivotal in getting the MIBG program up and running, a treatment option for patients who have certain types of neuroblastoma. Her attention to detail, thorough team member training and family education paved the way for success. While this program still runs under her leadership, Lindsey also works closely with physicians on other research projects, serving as the principal investigator.
“We are honored to have Lindsey’s leadership in our family here at Children’s Health. She embodies every quality of the nursing profession, from her compassionate care to her passion for giving patients the best care possible,” Brennan says.
Lindy Moake
With more than 26 years of experience in the Heart Center at Children’s Health, Lindy Moake, Manager, Advanced Practice, Heart Center Administration, is a fount of information for her team. Lindy’s breadth of knowledge related to cardiac care, as well as patient, family and team member care, is what stood out to D Magazine, honoring her as an outstanding nurse with a 2019 Excellence in Nursing award.
Lindy began her career as a nurse, but as her passion for cardiology patients grew, so did her desire to learn. She went back to school and became one of the first Advanced Practice Providers in the Heart Center in 2004. More than a decade later, she now manages all 45 Advanced Practice Providers in the Heart Center and works in detail with clinical nurse specialists on different initiatives to enhance patient care.
“Lindy is a passionate nurse and a compassionate leader,” says Dort Foglia, VP, Associate CNO. “I rely on Lindy’s maturity in decision-making at the bedside and in the boardroom. She brings a wealth of knowledge and is a valuable team member in our Heart Center and across Children’s Health at large.”
Lindy’s passion for learning doesn’t stop with her own education, she also works as a professor at The University of Texas at Arlington. She has taught most of the Children’s Health Heart Center APPs, either through her classes or through an acute care review course she designed, which people travel from across the nation to take.
“Lindy supports education at all levels and is frequently sought after for mentoring, precepting and teaching,” Dorothy says. “I can’t imagine Children’s Health without Lindy’s presence. She consistently practices our values in all that she does. I love working with her, as do all who encounter her. She is deserving of this award and represents Children’s Health as best in class!”
Lindy’s passion for direct patient care is still very active. She picks up extra shifts, led and started the Heart Center Family Advisory Council and takes calls for the Safe at Home Program, where families can call in for clinical advice. Lindy is a leader, mentor and friend to all. It’s easy to see why she is being recognized as an excellent nurse.
Cheryl Evans
Weekends, weekdays, before and after hours, Cheryl Evans, Pectus Clinical Coordinator, Ambulatory Care Center Administration, is there for her patient families. Cheryl coordinates the care for every patient in the Children's Health Center for Pectus and Chest Wall Anomalies in Plano. Cheryl began her nursing career at Children’s Health in 2008 and joined the Pectus clinic team about four years ago. Her commitment and desire to go above and beyond for patient families sparked the interest of D Magazine, who recently recognized her through the 2019 Excellence in Nursing awards.
“Cheryl jumps in with two feet every day,” says Kim McHard, Manager, Advanced Practice, Surgery Service, Plano. “She is very caring, organized, compassionate and always makes herself available to teach families and team members.”
Cheryl’s patients tend to be teenagers, typically having busy schedules and lengthy travel times, so she advocated for the clinic to open on Saturday mornings. Thanks to Cheryl’s support, these patients can now receive services on Saturdays, making life better and easier for their whole family. This is just one example of Cheryl’s passionate advocacy, doing whatever it takes to meet the needs of our families.
“There isn’t just one moment that stands out to demonstrate Cheryl’s character because she is consistently excellent,” says Mary McDonald, Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric General Surgery. “She has amazing patience and will do whatever she needs to do to take care of every patient family.”
Cheryl’s team calls her the ‘glue that holds the team together,’ keeping them on the smooth and narrow path to make sure all details are lined up. Her excellent skills as a caregiver and coordinator are highlighted through this remarkable recognition.