Charlene goes above and beyond in all she does. Charlene has been an awesome role model. In a particular situation, she took the time to mentor me and teach me how I could have handled a certain situation in a different way. I truly appreciate her believing in me and taking the time to teach me. It will stick with me forever. She taught me that the choice of words and just simply how you say something can change the whole situation. It had to do with being assertive but in a non-threatening way. She is so encouraging, and I appreciate her. She always has a positive attitude, very supportive, professional and compassionate. She really cares about the team. She has never made me feel like I am a bother to her or that she does not have time even though I know she was stretched thin. She treats us fairly and she is always willing to "go to bat" for us.
Charlene has an open door policy. She advocates for her staff while balancing organizational needs. Charlene encourages participation in educational opportunities and committees throughout the system. I know that if I go to her with something, I can trust her, and as always she will be professional. She has always been respectful and she gets the same respect from me. She is very approachable in any situation. If she says she will do something she does! I feel like she goes out of her way to treat everyone fair and equal. Our team is unique and we don't know many of our co-workers. She goes above and beyond by setting up functions that give us the opportunity to meet and interact with one another. She has created an environment of trust and mutual respect.
Charlene wants us to be the best we can be for ourselves and for the units and patients we serve. Patient-centered, organizational and team goals and progress toward those goals are regularly communicated. She also provides opportunities outside the work environment for us to come together and bond as a team. She is very motivating. She truly wants to meet Sentara's goals, and most importantly, she wants to do things that will improve patients' experiences. She is always concerned about her staff as well, wants to know if you are having a good experience at your current location, and if you have the tools you need to provide extraordinary care! If something isn't going well, or we don't have what we need, she most definitely wants to know so that she can help fix it for better staff and patient satisfaction.
Charlene is well thought of and is considered a "go-to" person by all who know her. She conducts herself in a manner that enhances nursing as a profession and enables her staff to do the same. She most definitely enhances nursing! Sentara is lucky to have such a great role model as a leader. She makes her nurses feel like rock stars on a very regular basis, which in turn has us nurses giving world-class care to our patients because of the vision she has. She is always providing us with opportunity for community involvement, too.
Charlene is at once professional and personal; while careful to dot all the I's and cross all the T's, the warmth of her personality touches me. She is the kind of person who inspires you to do more than you knew you could or wanted to do. With great skill and grace, she manages a large number of nursing staff who live in multiple states and work in multiple health settings in multiple health disciplines. She is extraordinary. I say this honestly, I have never had a director as well rounded as she. She is inspirational and helps me to strive to be a better nurse. Not only does she ask for our opinions she actually utilizes them. She is an advocate for us … by protecting our integrity, by not compromising employee safety, and by making sure employee needs are met. She embraces challenges and change with innovative strategies. She is the person you want at your side when times become challenging. I look to her as a role model for what I want to be in the future.