Unit Practice Council Members

Laura, RN, Unit Practice Council Chair, 6S, Progressive Care/Renal
After graduating with her BSN from the University of Alabama in 1996 Laura taught at a few colleges and then took a nursing position with an internal medicine clinic. Laura began her nursing career at Regions in 2004.

Laura was voted onto her unit's unit practice council by her coworkers and then elected to chair the team. "What I appreciate most about Relationship Based Care and the UPC is the focus and support that enables nursing staff to work together as a team and allows us to put words and ideas into actions that result in providing the best patient care."

Cathy, RN, Unit Practice Council Co-Chair, Same Day Surgery/PACU
Cathy first came to Regions because she wanted to work at a Level I Trauma Center. Her first role at Regions was as a patient care assistant in the float pool. After graduating with her nursing degree in 1998, she continued to work in the float pool, only as an RN. Later she transferred to one of the surgical units, and a few years later Cathy transferred to the surgical intensive care unit. In 2003, she began her current role in the post-anesthesia-recovery unit (PACU) where she remains today.

"I enjoy being on our UPC and I appreciate Relationship Based Care. Our UPC is a committee that is acting as a "change agent" on the units. I am most proud of the staff that I work with and the care we provide our patients. The two units (SDS/PACU) have some talented nurses who are very good at what they do and are a great bunch to work with every day. Teamwork is very strong on our unit and our manager, Mary, has been instrumental in making sure it happens. Every day is different and challenging, but we work together to offer patients the best care and to assure their move to the next phase of their surgical experience is a smooth and positive one."

Michelle, RN, Unit Practice Council member, 3CM (SICU)
In 1994 Michelle accepted her first nursing position, in Tucson, Arizona. In 2000 she moved back home to Minnesota and started her nursing career at Regions Hospital. She says she appreciates the diversity of this teaching hospital and the autonomy she has as a nurse at Regions.

"Relationship based care is a vehicle in which we all should take a ride. It takes us to a place where patients are treated as human beings who need to be healed and not as machines with broken parts that need to be fixed."