Saint Joseph London nursing manager Amber Cheek, BSN, RN strives for innovation and improving the experience patients and their caregivers have. Weathering the pandemic, the transition to Epic and many other challenges she faces as a nursing leader, Amber remains steadfast in her commitment to the team and ministry.
“Leadership allows you to help make decisions at the bedside to improve caregiver and patient experience; that’s what I enjoy the most about being in leadership,” Amber said.
Her philosophy on leadership focuses on three key practices.
“Being present for the people, being compassionate, and rallying the team to help make good clinical decisions. It is important to realize when a decision isn't the best one, own it, learn from it, and begin brainstorming with your team again is the best way to approach difficult situations,” Amber added.
Amber has played various roles from floor nursing to leadership at Saint Joseph London. In 2020, she transitioned from floor nursing to an interim supervisor position and then took the clinical coordinator position for the medical surgical units.
In 2021, she accepted a position as the float pool nurse manager. During her first year as a nurse manager, she also initiated Saint Joseph London’s first in-patient wound care program and the first vascular access team, which also serves Saint Joseph Berea.
Despite the challenges faced during the pandemic, Amber said it helped her learn to prioritize the needs of the organization to best support caregivers and patients during a rough patch of staffing shortages and patient surges. This was a very difficult time for all healthcare workers, but she felt it helped mold her into the leader she is today.
“Humankindness is how we overcame those stressors that we continue to face,” Amber said. “The leadership team and executive leadership are extremely supportive. If they see someone struggling, they’re willing to help. The culture, the way we treat each other, and the one big team approach is contagious.”
As a leader, Amber also has a significant role in transitioning to Epic. She was part of the ClinDoc build team and the post-launch collaborative review group. Amber says the standardization of the ministry’s electronic health records system will be life changing for patients.
“It increases the quality of care and patient safety,” Amber said. “We are revamping every aspect of care we provide. During this process, we looked at everything with a fresh set of eyes and updated it to provide the most accurate, up-to-date, evidence-based patient care.”
Amber said she originally started her college career in a different direction but chose nursing after several personal experiences that called her to serve.
“I really wanted to spend more bedside time with patients, so I switched gears for nursing school,” Amber said. “After beginning my career in nursing I considered the future career path of a nurse practitioner until I was asked to be an interim supervisor on Med-Surg. This is where my passion for leadership opened up and I’ve loved it ever since.”
Amber’s passion for leadership was recognized as she was named 2022 Leader of the Year at Saint Joseph London. Amber enjoys spending her free time with her husband, Jacob, and their two-year-old daughter Ramsey at their home in Manchester. They are active members of their church and love their community.
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Spirit of Health magazine's print edition is distributed quarterly and focuses on topics related to our CHI Saint Joseph Health purpose and values.
