Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center recognizes its employees of the year

Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center recently announced Employees of the Year for 2005. The award is presented to a manager, nurse and an employee. In addition to the honor, each recipient was presented with an engraved plaque and a check for $500.

Recipients of the award are selected from individuals who have been chosen as an Employee of the Quarter during the year. Initially, Employees of the Quarter are nominated by their peers and chosen by the administrative team for the honor.

Angie Reeves was recognized as Employee of the Year.

Reeves, a licensed practical nurse, serves as the One Call Scheduler for the hospital.

She has worked at Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center since 2003.

Reeves schedules tests, educates doctors and their office staff about procedures, preps and costs, while at the same time ensures that every patient receives the personal service and attention they deserve. She has developed an excellent rapport with the physicians offices and manages to juggle the schedule to accommodate all their patients.

During the past year as services have expanded in radiology and lab, she has accepted the additional scheduling challenge and continues to evaluate and improve upon her processes to better serve the department and patients. In addition, as volume has increased with more neighboring communities using the hospital for outpatient procedures, Reeves has been unflappable in her determination to serve physicians and patients with the utmost care.

In addition to her One-Call Scheduling duties, Reeves lends a hand in registration by performing pre-admissions and registration, making her a valuable team player. Furthermore, she has gained a reputation amongst her co-workers for being a fast learner and someone they can call on to help out when needed.

The Nurse of the Year, Cynda Bearden, has been a registered nurse at Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center for the past 10 years. During her tenure at the hospital she has worked in several areas including mental health, medical/surgical and outpatient surgery. Primarily, she works as a nurse in the outpatient surgery unit where she thrives on the fast-paced patient care atmosphere. Bearden has a strong clinical base and understands nursing measures needed for quality patient care. She is very concerned for detail and eager to learn new techniques.

In addition, she is empathetic to patients and families and thorough in her work.

Always cheerful, she never has any hesitation to help other departments.

Bearden is a conscientious nurse, in that she takes initiative to think ahead and anticipate the needs of other departments. She takes pride in the hospital and does her part to make sure it runs smoothly, including making sure there is adequate staffing for patient care.

Bearden is an excellent communicator. She informs her supervisor and the physician of patient needs. In addition, she keeps the families of patients apprised of their progress and where they are on the schedule. Co-workers appreciate the information she shares with them about the condition of patients, allowing for more comprehensive care in the department.

Cathy Bradford was named Manager of the Year. Bradford began her career at Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center in 1975 as a registered nurse. While she is currently the intensive care manager, throughout her tenure at the hospital she has held various nurse manager positions in medical/surgical, pediatrics and cardiology.

Her employees view Bradford as a mentor; they know she has high expectations, but is very knowledgeable and is always willing to help them.

She has gained their respect with her support, dedication, dependability and professionalism. They admire her hands-on approach and excellent clinical nursing skills and aspire to possess the same qualities in their jobs. In fact, under her guidance and encouragement several of her employees have enrolled in and completed additional nursing degrees. As a unit manager she possesses an extremely high level of teamwork. She is consistently ranked as a top manager within the hospital by administration.

At the same time her peers view her as an exceptional leader and manager on their team. Her concern and compassion for patients is always at the top of her list, making her a strong patient advocate. In addition, she serves as a positive influence by being eager to experiment and implement new programs in her department, proving to other managers that it really does work. Bradford is always eager to lend a helping hand, she is a proactive leader who digs in and gets results. Recently, she organized the staff and volunteered herself to help during Hurricane Katrina relief efforts locally and at the Biloxi Regional Medical Center. The driving force behind her participation in community or volunteer activities is her need to help others, which is why she tells her staff that she went into nursing.