Vickie Hawkins

I attribute my success to the coworkers, my peers, my mentors, and the people I've worked alongside throughout my career. I've been fortunate to have incredible mentors who shaped my nursing practice. Wanda Reid was my boss for a time, and I was her boss for a time, but she was always a mentor to me. She taught me that we can always do something else, especially when we didn't have a certain instrument the doctor wanted in the OR. Beng Bibler was another personal friend and mentor who I worked with all those years in the operating room. These relationships and the support of the people around me have been essential to everything I've accomplished.

The best career advice I ever received was from my mentor Wanda Reid, and it's a quote I've carried with me: 'We can always do something else.' She said this in relation to working in the OR, and we would sometimes not have a certain instrument the doctor wanted, or something like that, and she would remind us that we can always do something else. It taught me to be adaptable and resourceful, to not get stuck when things don't go as planned, and to always find another way to provide the care our patients need.

I think there are so many changes in the medical world now, and you have to be able to really adapt and accept some of those changes, and to continue to provide the best nursing care that you can. The field is constantly evolving, and being flexible and open to change while staying focused on delivering excellent patient care is essential. Don't let the changes overwhelm you, embrace them as opportunities to grow and improve how you serve your patients.

I would say the biggest challenge is taking care of patients who come with different types of expectations. You have different types of patients who come with different things in their history, and you kind of have to consider all those things as to why they are here and what you're trying to do to take care of them. My biggest challenge is to meet their expectations in a kind and considerate way, being mindful of their individual circumstances and treating each person with the compassion they deserve.

Being transparent, being honest, and being compassionate are the values most important to me. Different patients come with different problems and different things in their history, and so you kind of have to consider all those things as to why they are here and what you're trying to do to take care of the patient. I believe in approaching each person with honesty and transparency, while never losing sight of the compassion that's at the heart of nursing. These values guide how I interact with patients and how I live my life.