Colleagues, We’ve got a lot of news to cover this month, so I’ll dive right in. First, I’d like to thank the nurses who attended the first “Talk with Tammy” session a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed getting to sit down and talk with them, and according to the follow-up surveys, they all […]

Colleagues, I’ve received several responses to last month’s message, and the common theme was, “thank you for bringing this to the surface.” I’ve thought more about the importance of a safe and healthy work environment in the past month – and the value of open, honest communication. A couple of recent experiences reminded me about last […]

Colleagues, Three weeks ago, 170 new nurses joined our profession after graduating from the UAMS College of Nursing. BSN graduate Tyler Dawson spoke at the hooding and pinning ceremony about recently being a patient and thanked the paramedics, doctors and nurses who helped care for him. “It was through this experience, here at the end […]

Colleagues, You did it! Our Leapfrog Grade is an A, and now everyone can see what goes into the outstanding care we provide here at UAMS Health. This achievement and recognition make me so proud of all of you and the hard work you have put in over the past several years to improve our […]

Colleagues, As a follow-up to the Nursing Town Hall session in late January, I’d like to respond to several of the questions during the session and in the post-event survey. Most of the questions are related to compensation, work environment, or career advancement, so I’ll address those rather than some of the more specific questions. […]

Colleagues, I’ve survived my first day as CNO! In case you missed the email with the announcement last Friday, Dr. Krause sent a message announcing that I had been named the Chief Nursing Officer for UAMS Health effective Feb. 1, after serving in this role on an interim basis since October. I’m thrilled to take […]

Colleagues, A nationwide survey conducted in November by Gallup showed that Americans’ confidence in our medical system is not as high as it was 10 years ago. There are a number of likely contributors to this. The COVID pandemic and the resulting staffing shortages, concerns surrounding insurance providers/coverage, and higher prices for medical care related […]

Dear UAMS Nursing Colleagues, Over the past several weeks I’ve rounded on various units and visited with a number of you. I can see the exhaustion on many of your faces. Exhaustion, burnout and compassion fatigue are not issues just here at UAMS – they are affecting nurses across the United States. Being a nurse […]

Dear UAMS Nursing Colleagues, I can honestly say that I’ve never experienced anything like the past three weeks. Since accepting the interim chief nursing officer role, my life has been a whirlwind of questions, ideas, urgent challenges, a LOT of listening, and trying to figure out how to prioritize things that are all important. In […]