Sometimes, an employee’s role in our healthcare system transcends a mere job title. Beyond the scope of their job, they find ways to leave a lasting impression on their co-workers, patients and communities. NHRMC's Employee of the Year offers everyone a perfect example of such transcendence.
For her dedication to the NHRMC system, her Pathology & Laboratory team, her fellow employees and their families, NHRMC’s patients and visitors, future medical professionals, and for continuing all the while to educate herself, NHRMC's Employee of the Year is Astrid Keusseyan, MHA MLS, Administrative Coordinator Network Pathology & Laboratory Services.
Astrid applies the standards of performance in all that she does. She looks for opportunities to offer better service and comfortably aggregates data to support decision making. Her input is valued by many—a primary reason why she’s often recruited to the table on a variety of forums. She’s not the loudest voice in the room, but when she speaks, she offers insight and wisdom beyond her years. She is articulate and creative in her approach to work and people. She follows up and follows through on requests from her teammates and interdisciplinary partners.
Her teammates and managers recognize her contributions and positive attitude, and her manager frequently receives compliments from managers from other departments. She greets everyone with a warm, genuine smile. This employee is versatile enough to fill many roles in a pinch, and she always works to keep her team happy through an abundance of empathy, unending consideration, and the occasional potluck.
“Most of all,” her manager said, “she cares that the work we do is enjoyable to the ones doing it and beneficial to those whom we serve.” She’s both a dedicated worker and a scholar. She is a full-time student, working toward completion of her Master of Health Administration degree. Last year, her dedication was rewarded when the successful Laboratory Systemization and Standardization project earned a Gold Touchstone award through Atrium Health.
Still, that’s not enough. She finds time to be a leader of Healthcare Explorers, introducing teenagers to the broad career opportunities in the field of medicine. Driven by her passion for people, she is a staunch advocate for Health Equity and was selected to be a co-leader of Todos Unidos, NHRMC’s Hispanic/Latinx Employee Resource Group. The group holds Latin dancing classes, conversational Spanish sessions and recently volunteered at Festival Latino, where they introduced some Spanish speakers to NHRMC’s healthcare system.
Her heart for our patients and visitors was demonstrated yet again through the universal signs initiative. Charged with helping our Hispanic population feel more comfortable at NHRMC, this employee and her team took it a step further. Instead of just adding Spanish nomenclature to our signage, they incorporated universal visual symbols across the facility for all non-English speaking people.