The quality of a hospital is defined by the excellence of its clinical staff. As the backbone of any hospital, nurses deliver the essential, day-to-day care that directly impacts patient outcomes. At Memorial Hermann Health System, collaboration and leadership among frontline nurses have driven innovation in care, continually improving practices and enhancing the experience for those they serve.
Caitlin McVey, Associate Vice President of Memorial Hermann Institute for Nursing Excellence, agrees, "At Memorial Hermann, we understand that some of the most impactful innovations come from those who work directly with patients every day. By listening to our nurses, we gain invaluable insights that drive innovative care models at the bedside to shape the future of health care delivery."
Empowered to lead: Memorial Hermann champions nurse-led innovation
I encourage and challenge my staff every shift to make sure they are reaching their potential."
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By Monica Vanover on April 18, 2025
Sponsored by Memorial Hermann
- Erica Williams , Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital pediatric ICU charge nurse
One of Hill’s daily responsibilities has been helping to prevent Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries or HAPIs, which can develop when prolonged pressure is placed on a single area of the body and is an issue facing all heath care organizations. Drawing from his hands-on experience, Hill was instrumental in championing improvements in the “turn team,” a practice that relieves pressure on a patient’s body by repositioning them in bed.
“We know that about every two hours, we need to reposition patients,” Hill says. “That’s the evidence-based practice that is most effective at preventing someone from sitting on a pressure point for too long.”
In addition to promoting two-hour patient rotation intervals, Hill pushed for regularly rotating staff to reduce strain from heavy lifting and supported efforts to streamline the turn team process during nursing shift changes.
The results speak for themselves. “We’ve reduced the incidence of HAPIs to zero in Konnor’s unit,” says Dr. Seleria Fletcher, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial Hermann Katy. “This is an example of excellent evidence-based work from our nurses.” The new turn team procedures have even spread across the organization, to other units in the hospital.
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Programs like these foster resilience and a strong sense of teamwork, helping make Memorial Hermann a truly exceptional place to work. “I can look back and know that the team work we’ve created is really special,” Williams says. “We’ve become a family.”
Collaboration and leadership among frontline nurses have led to countless innovations in care as Memorial Hermann continues to improve practices and enhance the experience for those they serve.
“Gathering ideas and feedback from frontline nurses fuels their ability to be part of reimagining how we deliver high-quality health care to our community,” says Bryan Sisk, Memorial Hermann Chief Nursing Executive. “And it demonstrates our commitment to providing opportunities for growth and development, shaping the next generation of nursing leaders.”
Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial Hermann Katy
Dr. Seleria Fletcher
Weber points out that this shared commitment among staff extends well beyond the walls of the hospital. “Being an academic medical center, we partner closely with our physicians and other disciplines to do quality improvement and research, helping us both internally and externally as we share with other children’s hospitals.”
Adopting advanced new medical record-keeping systems isn't the only way Memorial Hermann is driving innovation and elevating standards in care. Konnor Hill, a registered nurse on the med-surg unit at Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital, began his journey as a patient care technician (PCT), where he honed his skills as a dedicated, hands-on caregiver.
RN, med-surg unit at Memorial Hermann Katy
Konnor Hill
Dr. Emily Weber, Vice President & Chief Nursing/Operations Officer at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, believes that supporting nurses begins with a strong foundation of tools and innovation. “We have a history here at Memorial Hermann of constantly looking for new resources – whether that’s people or technology – to support our bedside clinicians so they can provide the ultimate care for patients,” she says.
This includes the recent transition to a leading electronic health record software system Epic. The decision to make the switch came in part due to the feedback from Memorial Hermann’s frontline nursing staff. “We are a Magnet® recognized hospital,” says Dr. Weber, referring to the designation for nursing excellence. “So we really value the voice and impact of our frontline staff.”
Such feedback came from Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital pediatric ICU charge nurse Erica Williams who supported the decision to transition to Epic. After training on the new system, Erica quickly recognized that it streamlined workflows, allowing nurses to focus more on bedside care and increase time spent directly with patients and families.
“I encourage and challenge my staff every shift to make sure they are reaching their potential,” says Williams, who is focused on elevating best practices across the hospital, whether she’s by the bedside or leading a team of nurses in a charge nurse or preceptor role.
Hill’s leadership and dedication at Memorial Hermann helped him successfully transition from a PCT to a registered nurse—made possible in part by the health system’s strong support system, including a range of scholarships and tuition reimbursement programs. “There are many opportunities for flexibility in scheduling,” says Fletcher, adding, “The system supported Konner as a PCT while also working toward his license as a registered nurse.”
Supporting nurses in diverse and meaningful ways is a top priority at Memorial Hermann.
That support includes on-site counseling, wellness activities and other resources that promote emotional well-being. Code Lilac is a specialized program offering peer guidance during challenging situations. As a Code Lilac member, Williams assists her team when they experience a stressful outcome with a patient, such as a pediatric death or complicated social background. “We meet them where they are, validate their feelings, and help them get to a better place so that they don’t carry it home with them,” says Williams.
One of Hill’s daily responsibilities has been helping to prevent Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries or HAPIs, which can develop when prolonged pressure is placed on a single area of the body and is an issue facing all heath care organizations. Drawing from his hands-on experience, Hill was instrumental in championing improvements in the “turn team,” a practice that relieves pressure on a patient’s body by repositioning them in bed.
“We know that about every two hours, we need to reposition patients,” Hill says. “That’s the evidence-based practice that is most effective at preventing someone from sitting on a pressure point for too long.”
In addition to promoting two-hour patient rotation intervals, Hill pushed for regularly rotating staff to reduce strain from heavy lifting and supported efforts to streamline the turn team process during nursing shift changes.
The results speak for themselves. “We’ve reduced the incidence of HAPIs to zero in Konnor’s unit,” says Dr. Seleria Fletcher, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial Hermann Katy. “This is an example of excellent evidence-based work from our nurses.” The new turn team procedures have even spread across the organization, to other units in the hospital.
Weber points out that this shared commitment among staff extends well beyond the walls of the hospital. “Being an academic medical center, we partner closely with our physicians and other disciplines to do quality improvement and research, helping us both internally and externally as we share with other children’s hospitals.”
Adopting advanced new medical record-keeping systems aren’t the only way Memorial Hermann is driving innovation and elevating standards in care. Konnor Hill, a registered nurse on the med-surg unit at Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital, began his journey as a patient care technician (PCT), where he honed his skills as a dedicated, hands-on caregiver.
Programs like these foster resilience and a strong sense of teamwork, helping make Memorial Hermann a truly exceptional place to work. “I can look back and know that the team work we’ve created is really special,” Williams says. “We’ve become a family.”
Collaboration and leadership among frontline nurses have led to countless innovations in care as Memorial Hermann continues to improve practices and enhance the experience for those they serve.
“Gathering ideas and feedback from frontline nurses fuels their ability to be part of reimagining how we deliver high-quality health care to our community,” says Bryan Sisk, Memorial Hermann Chief Nursing Executive. “And it demonstrates our commitment to providing opportunities for growth and development, shaping the next generation of nursing leaders.”
The quality of a hospital is defined by the excellence of its clinical staff. As the backbone of any hospital, nurses deliver the essential, day-to-day care that directly impacts patient outcomes. At Memorial Hermann Health System, collaboration and leadership among frontline nurses have driven innovation in care, continually improving practices and enhancing the experience for those they serve.
Caitlin McVey, Associate Vice President of Memorial Hermann Institute for Nursing Excellence, agrees, "At Memorial Hermann, we understand that some of the most impactful innovations come from those who work directly with patients every day. By listening to our nurses, we gain invaluable insights that drive innovative care models at the bedside to shape the future of health care delivery."
Dr. Emily Weber, Vice President & Chief Nursing/Operations Officer at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, believes that supporting nurses begins with a strong foundation of tools and innovation. “We have a history here at Memorial Hermann of constantly looking for new resources – whether that’s people or technology – to support our bedside clinicians so they can provide the ultimate care for patients,” she says.
This includes the recent transition to a leading electronic health record software system Epic. The decision to make the switch came in part due to the feedback from Memorial Hermann’s frontline nursing staff. “We are a Magnet® recognized hospital,” says Dr. Weber, referring to the designation for nursing excellence. “So we really value the voice and impact of our frontline staff.”
Such feedback came from Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital pediatric ICU charge nurse Erica Williams who supported the decision to transition to Epic. After training on the new system, Erica quickly recognized that it streamlined workflows, allowing nurses to focus more on bedside care and increase time spent directly with patients and families.
“I encourage and challenge my staff every shift to make sure they are reaching their potential,” says Williams, who is focused on elevating best practices across the hospital, whether she’s by the bedside or leading a team of nurses in a charge nurse or preceptor role.
Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial Hermann Katy Marsella
Dr. Seleria Fletcher