Caring, competent, collaborative, innovative, and trustworthy: these are the values we ask you to demonstrate as you carry out our mission through your work.
In April, we recognized 12 team members as Employees of the Month for consistently being their best for our patients and their co-workers.
Employee of the Month recognizes the people you love to work with. The winners exhibit Kettering Health’s Standards of Behavior, live out our values, and demonstrate the healing presence practices outlined in Called to Care.
Thank you for impacting the lives of those in our community by fulfilling our mission. Our work wouldn’t be possible without you!
Continue reading to see the April Employee of the Month nomination stories.
“Robin does an amazing job keeping Kettering College clean and always does it with a big smile on his face. Every day as I walk in, I am reminded of the immense amount of glass this place consists of. From the front entryway windows/doors to the glass windows overlooking the lower-level lobby, the amount of glass feels endless. All that to be said, this place is always clean! It’s refreshing to have someone working on our Environmental Services team who constantly goes above and beyond, ensuring that our students can attend Kettering College and never worry about the cleanliness or hygiene of our facility.
What truly distinguishes Robin is his remarkable ability to connect with every member of our staff and student body. Whether through a friendly greeting, a thoughtful gesture, or a shared interest, he finds unique ways to foster meaningful connections that contribute to a positive work and learning environment for everyone.
On a personal note, I have developed a special connection with him, despite our friendly rivalry as Duke and University of North Carolina (UNC) fans. Even with our differences in team allegiances, he always manages to bridge the gap with good-natured trash talk, further exemplifying his ability to connect with others on a personal level. As a self-proclaimed UNC fanatic, I never thought the day would come when I would nominate a DUKE fan for anything, but I couldn’t think of a more deserving person than Robin Fletcher.”
“Vanessa is a joy to work with every day she comes in! Not only does she make you smile with her humor, but she is truly engaged in her work and is present for the patients she sees. I’ve never once encountered a worker who is so willing to handle difficult tasks/cases with a willingness to learn and develop new skills. She never shies away from things that others may view as “hard” or time-consuming. Her ability to empathize and connect with those struggling has been refreshing! Vanessa is deserving of all the good things.
Vanessa brings a positive outlook, upbeat, and strong work ethic. She’s willing to learn and compassionate. I have personally observed Vanessa to be conscientious, very collaborative, and hold herself to a high standard.”
“Lashawnda rises to the needs of the clinic on a consistent basis. She delivers excellent care to our patients, even when the wound center has “crisis” staffing. She always has a positive attitude, and our patients have no idea that she is working extremely understaffed. The wound center providers and staff have the utmost respect for Lashawnda’s knowledge and her excellent patient care. Unfortunately, the wound center went a couple months seeing over 30 patients and her being the only RN due to staff illness. As stated above, our patients never knew she was the only RN. She took time with each patient and maintained an upbeat and positive attitude while delivering the best patient care!
Because she is a hard worker and maintains a positive attitude through stressful times, her team backs her and they have become stronger together. Patients have a very positive visit.”
“Norma went above the call of duty when a patient’s hearing aids went missing. Norma took it upon herself to dig through the dumpster trash to find the patient’s hearing aids that were accidentally placed in the trash and then the trash was taken to the dumpster. The very expensive hearing aides were found and returned to the patient.
Norma’s dedication to not just her job but her willingness to go above and beyond the call for all patients and co-workers is something rare to find in a person. Norma is a ray of sunshine and always has a positive attitude.”
“Kiersten was the second shift nurse for my father-in-law who was very ill and was admitted through the emergency center. She was so kind and demonstrated Kettering Health’s mission of caring for our patients, not just physically but for their whole being. She took the time to write a scripture on his drinking cup and also drew some of his favorite things on another cup. After her shift, she even went further and went out to buy him ice cream and bring it back. I want to make sure Kiersten is recognized. She is a great asset to Kettering Health Hamilton!
This meant so much to me and my family. It was a very tough time, and she brought light into a very sad situation. As her co-worker, I’m proud to say that I work with such a great nurse!”
“Erin knew that the intensive care unit (ICU) was having a challenging evening with high acuity and she came over from 2E to round on patients while the ICU team tended to emergencies. She also came over after her shift was over to check on the staff and see if anyone needed breakfast while they finished up from their tough evening. WHAT A TEAM PLAYER.
Erin role modeled what collaboration looks like and how to support Kettering Health Miamisburg and ALL of our patients.”
“We had a patient who only spoke Mandarin and came in with hyperglycemia. He was ultimately diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and had to be sent home with insulin. The only way to communicate with the patient was via MARTII, which was very time-consuming. Diana took several hours at the bedside to educate this young patient on insulin pens, carb counting, using a glucometer, etc. She NEVER needed to spend the amount of time she did. She ensured that a young immigrant, whom many people would ignore or not take the time to educate, received the proper education. This not only impacted his life by possibly saving it but also helping to prevent readmissions.”
“Autumn always goes above and beyond for our patients at Years Ahead Kettering. A patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 and their window for treatment was quickly running out. Autumn worked alongside David de la Peña, DO, to call pharmacies to get the patient the medication she needed. Unfortunately, the patient was unable to take Paxlovid and the medication she needed was going to cost her $400 out of pocket due to not meeting her deductible in the beginning of a new year. Autumn quickly worked to find a pharmacy and the medication that would be covered under her insurance and the patient did not have to pay the high amount and could get treatment started right away. This truly shows Kettering Health Medical Group’s mission and values!”
“Trina is always going the extra mile to support the Health Information (HIMS) coders with a smile on her face and in her voice. This was obvious as she took on the challenge of updating the current 3M 360 coding application in November 2023. This work required an updated version of the application, combined with migrating the application to a cloud-based solution for server connectivity. She took on the challenge, always keeping her focus on how this would impact those she serves, the HIMS coders, with the goal of no unscheduled service downtime. Trina spent time with each coder to understand how they connected and their workflow to confirm they could complete their work without any service interruption. Trina’s love for learning new things was one of the keys to this initiative’s success. Her ability to collaborate with technical teams, operational leaders, vendors, and co-workers is a strength that I see in all of Trina’s work. She is not afraid to ask questions and listen to alternatives from those with more experience and knowledge while bringing suggestions from her perspective to the discussion.
On January 17 the application was cut over to the new servers within the requested downtime. The cut-over day was like any other day for the HIMS coders; it was uneventful, and it was all within the requested downtime. What a blessing for the HIMS team and the operational efficiencies of the organization.”
“Nate is amazingly helpful and aware of others’ needs. Recently, during a winter weather event, Nate was stuck on the icy road with several other drivers on his way to work. He witnessed another driver fall and strike her head. Without a second thought, Nate jumped into action and checked on her. Nate not only put the need of another ahead of his own, but he also made it to work only a few minutes late.
Nate consistently does what is right, even when it is difficult. He is diligent and has a hunger for learning that will take him far in this profession. Thank you, Nate, for doing what you do. In a million little ways, you improve the lives of your patients and your co-workers in a million different ways.”
“Last week we had a particular issue with the trash not being collected after we finished our day. Each morning, we arrived to find our biohazard bags still full, trash not emptied, and other such miscellaneous items. When we arrive early in the morning and find things such as this, we call Environmental Services (EVS). It’s rough for the night shift person, as they are trying to finish their duties for the end of their shift. But each day last week, we called EVS upon noting such findings. John arrived at our department within a minute each day and immediately addressed the issues. He had such a serving spirit, with a smile, and completed the necessary task promptly.
It was refreshing to see his pleasant disposition, smiling face, and willingness to complete the task even though it wasn’t originally on his list of duties for his shift.
After we called him the third day in a row, he stated he would come to check our department through the night to ensure nothing had been left behind.
John truly demonstrates the mission of the system and a true team spirit with a happy spirit.
Thank you, John, for being a rockstar and a team player!”
“Rodney went above and beyond for a patient on Friday, January 19, 2024. As I was rounding on patients during leader rounding, a patient was being discharged. As I asked the patient how he was going to get home, he stated that he was going to drive since his car was in our parking lot. It had snowed overnight so I asked if he had a snow scraper in his car to get the snow off. He stated he did not. I told him I would ensure his car was scraped off before he left so he could safely make it home. He gave me the license plate number and make of his car. I then proceeded to ask our police officers if they had a snow scraper in their car. Rodney did not even hesitate when asked if he could help me with this task. He took the information on the car, walked to the emergency center parking lot, and removed the snow from this patient’s car. I am so grateful to be able to work with such an amazing group of police officers at Soin Medical Center like Rodney. Thank you for all you do!”