She “stepped up” when a lot of nurses were stepping down

• I would like to nominate my coworker Gaye Mianecke RN for the Hazel Latondress Leadership Award. Gaye has been an infusion nurse on the pediatric hematology/oncology unit for the past several years, and has had other roles on the floor, including manager. Gaye is now working as a PCCC and is a huge asset to our office. Gaye is a leader, she has precepted all of the staff in the last year and a half and has helped all of us learn our roles not only as PCCC’s, but as infusion nurses as well. Gaye is dedicated to Bronson and provides exceptional care to her patients. As Gaye’s coworker, I witness her leadership skills every day. Gaye worked as an on call nurse and there was a complete turnover of nurses on our unit. Gaye took a part time position so that she was able to keep some continuity of care to our very fragile patients. She “stepped up” when a lot of nurses were stepping down. Gaye’s knowledge and expertise deserves recognition for many reasons. Even physicians look to Gaye for assistance with coordinating patient care. Coworkers look to Gaye for guidance in difficult situations, whether it be a difficult IV start or how to get a job done. Gaye is always willing to help, no matter how big or small the task. It is apparent that Gaye loves what she does and is very good at it. Gaye demonstrates compassion not only to her patients and their families, but also to her colleagues. Gaye is a true leader and everyone around her admires her for it. Gaye is self motivated and her clinical experience and mastery of skills allows the clinic to run more efficiently. She sees a job that needs to be done and she does it, without hesitation. When patients need new medications or new treatment, Gaye makes sure that the patient is informed and spends extra time to make sure that they receive the best education possible.
• I became a new leader on the pediatric hematology oncology unit about 17 months ago. We are a small team, with only four nurses providing care to this very special population of patients. However, our team was not immune to the staffing upheaval the pandemic caused in health care. Since my time on the unit, we have had basically a 100% turnover in our nursing staff. This nurse, after being manager of this clinic for many years, had previously retired, but was still working on-call. However, when she recognized there was a need, she took an hourly position on the unit. Honestly, I am not sure what we would have done without her! She has been so patient in teaching and guiding all of us as we learned how to best care for these patients. As a member of the children’s oncology group, it is imperative that we keep appropriate records for the study patients, and this nurse has taught us how to best document on those records. Sometimes I feel like we bombard her with hundreds of questions a day- from figuring out how to place consults, to how to order the proper tests, to how often to perform vital signs during certain infusions, to asking for help with IV starts (because she in incredible with IVs!), she is always so patient with us, and takes the time to teach us. I am so impressed with the whole team down here on the pediatric hematology-oncology unit, but I know that we would not be who we are without this very strong and competent nurse to lead and guide us. She exemplifies what it means to be a leader- stepping up in time of need, patience with those you are leading, and being an excellent example of a caring, skilled nurse. We are so thankful for her!
• Gaye has been an incredible leader in the pediatric hematology/oncology unit at Bronson Children’s Hospital since I started working here. Her experience and leadership has been paramount the past 2 years with significant turnover in nursing staff around her as 75% of our clinical nurses have all recently transitioned seamlessly from inpatient to outpatient nursing because of Gaye’s teaching and knowledge. Her clinical wisdom has also aided me as I started working here as an attending physician. Our patients and team are all better because we have Gaye working with us.
• Not only has Gaye Mianecke been a Nurse for over 27 years, she has worked in many different positions within the pediatric hematology/oncology unit (including manager of department). Recently we had a huge turnover rate for the nurses within the department. Gaye was one of the only RNs who stayed and was willing to train each and everyone of us, on top of taking exceptional care of our patients. To this day our team would not be as successful as it is without her heart and dedication. She is currently a part time practice clinical care coordinator within the department (prior to this position she worked as an on call RN). She took this position when 3/4 nurses left the department in order to help train the new nurses along with helping the team. As her co-worker, I can see how much she cares for her patients and fellow teammates. I know with 100% certainty Gaye would be there for each and every one of us when in need of ANYTHING!
• I would like to nominate Gaye Mianecke, RN, for the amazing work she does each and every day on the pediatric hematology/oncology Unit. She has been a dedicated team member, mentor and friend to many during her time here at Bronson. She continues to show her exemplary Bronson values with the exceptional care she provides her patients/families as well as her team. I am one of four recent nurse transfers to the unit over the past 2 years and have personally felt her kindness and understanding as we’ve all continued to learn our roles. As with any new role, learning the different processes and flow can be challenging. She takes time to teach and broaden our knowledge every day, helping our team become more cohesive. The unit, patients and families would not be where they are today without her dedication. We all have gained from her willingness to step up and help the team. When it comes to patients and families, they adore her. She makes special connections which helps put the patients at ease, and you can visualize the stress levels of caregivers decrease. She makes each family feel they are a part of the Bronson family. We also have heard from multiple caregivers that their son/daughter views Nurse Gaye as one of their best friends. When parents have question, she uses her extensive knowledge to help calm and assist them in gaining an understanding of what lies next. Thank you Gaye for being an amazing nurse, mentor and most of all friend, we appreciate all you are and do for Bronson!

Gaye Mianecke is a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse at Bronson Children’s Hospital. She is the recipient of the Hazel Latondress Leadership Award, and was recognized during the 2022 Nursing Excellence Celebration.