The McHugh Award recognizes aspiring nurse leaders in the field of long-term services and supports.
Jamey Walker, RN, is the winner of the 14th Annual Joan Anne McHugh Award for Leadership in Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Nursing. The award will be presented at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting and EXPO, which takes place Oct. 27-30 in San Diego.
Walker is Director of Nursing (DON) and Clinical Informatics Nurse at Lutheran Life Villages (LLV) at Kendallville, a LeadingAge member in Kendallville, IN. In that role, she organizes, supervises, and evaluates the nursing department, and serves as a technology liaison for all 3 skilled nursing communities within Lutheran Life Villages.
“Jamey … has an incredible work ethic and takes time to enjoy work, leading with an outgoing style that inspires others to become engaged and follow her lead,” wrote Kelly L. Borror, vice president of clinical operations, and Alex Kiefer, president and CEO, in their nomination letter.
LEADING NURSES THROUGH A RENOVATION
Borror and Kiefer gave Walker high marks for her leadership of LLV’s nursing team during a 7-month, $1 million renovation that took place in 2016.
“Jamey worked with her staff to develop daily plans to adjust building programs in ways that minimized the impact to the construction team while maximizing the benefit for the residents on the campus,” they wrote. “After renovations, she worked with her team to identify and standardize a new work flow to provide excellent care on a day-to-day basis.”
A SKILLED MULTITASKER
During and after the renovation, Walker showed herself to be a skilled multitasker.
She led the campus’s conversion of its electronic medical records to a new provider, worked with a variety of teams to embrace updates to the newly renovated memory care neighborhood, and engaged with members of the LLV corporate team to establish the skills and knowledge needed to care for residents under the Teepa Snow “Positive Approach to Care” dementia care training program.
In addition to taking on the role of Clinical Informatics Nurse in 2018, Walker has also taken on the challenge of providing coverage for the campus administrator, who is taking a 3-month leave of absence. Walker is able to juggle the additional responsibilities, according to Borror and Kiefer, because she has taken the time to develop trusting relationships with members of the nursing team and with employees in a variety of departments throughout the organization.
“Jamey understands that every employee of the nursing department is a valuable team member,” they wrote. “She leads the nursing team with an engaging, involve-me, mentality. She has earned the respect of both her employees and peers; she promotes a positive, can-do attitude.”
EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS
Walker’s success at LLV is supported by hard data. When she joined the LLV team in late 2015, the turnover rate was 72%. By the end of 2018, that rate had decreased to 59%.
In addition, a 2019 employee engagement satisfaction survey showed that 91% of LLV nurses agreed that Walker treats them fairly, listens to what they have to say, provides clear expectations, provides necessary training for resident care, and cares about them as people.
“The increase in retention is due to the positive work environment created by Jamey, along with the excellent care delivered,” write Borror and Kiefer. “It has led to improved recruitment for our community.”
Briana Jackson, an LLV certified nursing assistant (CNA), also credited Walker with creating that positive work environment. Jackson, who was hired by Walker as a high school student through a CNA program called Impact, now works full-time at LLV while also attending college.
“Jamey has the ability to see the best in people even though they don’t see it themselves,” wrote Jackson. “With a great sense of humor and down-to-earth personality, Jamey has created a great work environment, making staff and residents feel at ease. As a result of a wonderful workplace, Lutheran Life Villages feels like a second home to me. If it weren’t for everything she has done for me, I would not have come this far!”
PLANS FOR MCHUGH AWARD
Walker plans to use her $1,000 McHugh monetary award to earn a certification in gerontological nursing.
“Throughout my career in nursing, I have learned that change is inevitable,” she wrote. “Evidence-based practice is constantly evolving, and continued education is necessary to keep abreast of the best practices in nursing. My main professional goal is to strive to learn so that I may be a resource to my team in order to help them through any situation that may arise.”
ABOUT THE MCHUGH AWARD
The McHugh Award was established in memory of Joan Anne McHugh. During her career as a registered nurse, nurse manager, and nursing consultant, McHugh earned a well-deserved reputation for compassion, knowledge, and professionalism, and made a lasting impact on the geriatric health care profession. She died in 2003 at the age of 47.
The McHugh Award recognizes aspiring nurse leaders who provide excellent clinical care to their residents while demonstrating leadership in LTSS nursing and a commitment to the profession.
The McHugh Long-Term Care Nursing Academy first presented the McHugh Award in 2006. The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston (formerly the LeadingAge Center for Applied Research) established the academy in 2005 to support quality nurse managers in LTSS settings.