National Nurses Week - Building Connection During Turbulent Times

With over 20 years of nursing experience, Kristy is no stranger to the resilience and determination needed to be successful in the healthcare industry. Kristy has a passion for nursing and takes pride in her privilege to care for patients and touch the lives of anyone entering the healthcare facility in whatever way possible. Two years ago she made the switch from the clinical side of healthcare to resource and supply management as a Critical Products Manager where she is impacting both patients and her fellow caregivers. From her perspective, The Resource Group’s Critical Products Manager position was an amazing opportunity to balance the business and clinical sides of healthcare. Although Kristy does not practice nursing the way she used to, she values continuously building her clinical knowledge as it directly strengthens her ability to serve as a Critical Products Manager and in turn, better understand what caregivers at her facility need.

This skill became even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic where Kristy collaborated with many nurses and other clinical leaders. Practicing The Resource Group’s ListenFirst approach, Kristy found a deep sense of purpose by listening to the challenges her fellow clinicians were facing and said “my largest purpose was to hone in on my bedside skills from previous clinical experiences to communicate with people and reinforce that they are safe and they have someone looking out for their best interest. Everyone was scared, including myself, and I wanted to give what I, myself, needed-reassurance.” Although it was tough for Kristy to not be on the frontlines with her fellow caregivers she found balance in keeping a ‘go with the flow’ mentality. She found reassurance in listening to others, communicating needs, and responding with a high-energy ‘yes!’ to those asking for assistance.

When asked what the most rewarding aspect of her role was throughout the pandemic, without hesitation she credited working with her team. Kristy remarked on the diligence of how everyone worked together, regardless of their position, to share the work and take ownership of the results. Throughout everything she has seen and accomplished during her career, including a global pandemic, Kristy still stands by her healthcare roots and says that there's no other industry that she would rather be in, and that there isn’t a more appropriate time to focus on recognizing, appreciating, and investing in our incredible nurses across on the front lines.