Paula Fox was Southview Medical Center’s nominee for the Ohio Hospital Association’s 2017 Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award. One employee from each campus is nominated for this award, which is presented annually to one Ohio hospital caregiver who personifies a leader, gives back to the community, reflects the mission and values of his or her organization, and routinely goes beyond the call of duty. You can read Paula’s nomination below:
Paula Fox, a clinical laboratory assistant at Southview Medical Center, sets high standards for her department while exemplifying servant leadership. She is flexible and accommodating to her team. Paula plans social events for her department, creating a sense of camaraderie. She goes above and beyond to ensure her patients feel comfortable, understanding that they are sometimes experiencing difficult situations. She ares for her community in her own time by donating items and food, and has been involved in fundraising efforts for victims.
Great Leader
Having been a team member at Southview Medical Center since 1987, Paula Fox is very skilled in her work as a Clinical Laboratory Assistant and is a natural leader in the Core Lab Department. Paula trains and orients new team members and sets high expectations for the entire team. Paula is always looking to improve the department and keep everyone active when not working with patients by doing extra projects like cleaning and organizing the laboratory. Her commitment to the department is displayed on a daily basis through her service to others, putting her co-workers and patients first by doing extra projects like cleaning and organizing the laboratory. Her commitment to the department is displayed on a daily basis through her service to others, putting her co-workers and patients first before thinking of herself. She is the first to volunteer to help with a project and the last to go to lunch every day so that others can take a break. She is willing to adjust her work schedule by coming in early or staying late, and she has been called at home on her day off plenty of times and comes in to work with no hesitation or complaints. Paula is not a supervisor or a lead, but her commitment and contributions to the laboratory at Southview are what make the team great.
Goes Beyond the Call of Duty
Paula goes beyond the call of duty every day for patients and her team. It is not uncommon for Paula to work a long stretch of days without a day off so that others can have time off, or adjust her schedule to accommodate others. In addition to the ways Paula goes above and beyond for her teammates, she consistently goes the extra mile for patients. Over the years, Paula has been in a lot of difficult situations with patients, and no matter the outcome, she always maintains a positive and professional attitude. One example of this was when Paula was working with a patient that could not control their bowel movements. The patient had soiled heir clothes and the phlebotomy chair and felt truly embarrassed. Recognizing that this was a sensitive situation, Paula quietly helped the patient to the restroom and assisted the patient in getting cleaned up, providing them with fresh scrubs to wear home. Rather than contacting Environmental Services, Paula cleaned and sanitized the blood draw room and the bathroom herself and never complained. She did this all to help the patient feel comfortable during an uncomfortable situation.
Reflects the Mission and Values of Kettering Health Network
Paula reflects the mission and the values of our organization in her hard work every day. Our value of collaboration is displayed through Paula’s servant nature. Her co-workers are treated like family when Paula plans dinners, social activities, and decorates the department for celebrations. Her leadership describes Paual as a “busy bee” who is always looking to accomplish a task and improve the department. Paula is consistently praised by others for her competence and caring nature, which stems from her many years of experience and knowledge. The efficiency and skill that she shows in her work leaves patients stunned. Paula’s leaders regularly receive phone calls or written comments from patients that want to share how great she is at her job and how smooth their experience went with Paula as their caregiver. She is living out the mission of both Southview Medical Center and Kettering Health Network by improving her patients’ quality of life every time they see her. Paula loves to work hard at providing a healing environment for patients, and she is helping transform patient experience in the Core Lab. All of her patients come to Southview for her and say she is the reason they continue to come back.
Gives Back to the Community
The servant heart and action-oriented attitude that Paula displays at work extends far beyond the hospital walls. She serves the community in numerous ways to meet whatever need is in front of her. Paula actively serves the community alongside her two daughters, frequently donating gently used goods or food to local organizations and schools. She also has the ability to rally others behind a cause, evidenced by the time she helped raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. By selling baked goods wiht her children and neighbors for multiple days, the group was able to raise over $2,000 to give in support of those in need on the Gulf Coast. Be it the co-worker next to her in need of PTO and children’s clothing or her fellow Americans experiencing tragedy, Paula raises her hand to help. She never thinks about herself, instead getting the task done the right way with a smile on her face.