Shore Medical Center Emergency Department Nurse Manager Sherri Richmond.
SOMERS POINT — Shore Medical Center announced today that Emergency Department Nurse Manager Sherri Richmond is the recipient of its quarterly Leadership Profile Award. The award goes to a manager for exemplary job performance and exhibiting characteristics most valued in its leaders.
“I would like to recognize Sherri for everything she has done to manage COVID in the emergency department through this pandemic. She exceeded her job responsibilities and made herself available twenty-four seven to benefit the staff and the community,” Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer Linda Kenwood said.
Since March, the Emergency Department has had unique and continuously changing requirements.
“As a result, Sherri quickly shifted her focus from her traditional work duties to focus on everything COVID and the impact it has on patients, staff, the department, and the organization,” Kenwood said. “Without needing to be asked, she began looking for information and opportunities to learn what would be required to protect and care for our patients and our employees.”
Richmond educated herself, developed education and resources for staff, created policies, protocols, and processes related to COVID 19, collaborated with physicians and team members, and implemented best practices.
“She led by example, caring for this population of patients. She collected COVID tests in triage, in nursing homes, in the parking lot, and pre-admission and alleviated fear while also inspiring others to volunteer to do more testing in the community. Sherri made herself available to her staff and patients 24/7 and led by example at the bedside daily,” Kenwood said.
The multi-disciplinary engagement was coordinated and managed to facilitate all the changes necessary to provide safe and appropriate care with providers, plant operations, radiology, information technology, and the transport teams transporting our patients.
Richmond attended multiple educational webinars pertinent to clinical care and researched to educate herself on new and changing clinical standards, worked with the physician leaders to implement policy change, and communicated with all of these patients, staff, providers, leadership, and the community through multiple venues.
COVID-19 continues, and she continues to pursue best practices while managing the regular hectic workload of managing her department’s day-to-day work.
With the continued direct support of the exceptional clinical supervisors, the department will continue to excel, Kenwood said.
“Shore Medical Center and our community are very fortunate to have her in her role during this vulnerable time. Had she not been, I believe our outcomes for our patients and our staff would have been much different. We should commend her leadership, role modeling, and team-building with her supervisors, providers, staff, and all emergency department members. A team is, after all, a reflection of its leadership.”
