The Core of What We Do: Melissa Heavican Enjoys Supporting Others at Methodist Fremont Health to Achieve Great Outcomes

In “The Core of What We Do,” you’ll learn more about Methodist’s core service lines – primary care, oncology, cardiology, women’s health and orthopedics/surgical services – and the people whose dedication makes them so impactful for our communities.
 

Melissa Heavican, MSN, RN, CPHQ, LSSGB
Service Executive for Acute Care
Methodist Fremont Health   

How does the women’s health service line contribute to The Meaning of Care?

The Methodist Fremont Health Labor and Delivery Unit delivers around 300 babies a year and offers a special care nursery. Our women’s health services also provide specialized care for women receiving urological or gynecological surgery. The women’s service line contributes to The Meaning of Care by the way every staff member strives for excellence in their patient care by becoming certified in their specialty or dedicating time in the community to educate and support patients through breastfeeding classes or bereavement ceremonies.

What should people know about women’s services at Methodist Fremont Health?

When you come to Methodist Fremont Health to deliver your baby, you’ll be admitted to a room and stay there throughout your entire hospital stay. The same nursing team will admit and discharge you home. So there’s no need to move from a laboring room to a postpartum room and change who is caring for you! You’ll receive a very intimate experience and great support for your goals, such as breastfeeding. We’ll also provide all the tips and tricks to best care for your baby.

Tell us more about your role at Methodist and what you enjoy about it.

I’m a service executive at Methodist Fremont Health and lead the medical surgical, post-intensive care, intensive care, labor and delivery, pediatrics, case management, and social work teams at the hospital.

I have been in leadership at Methodist Fremont Health for about 10 years. My main goal when I started leading the labor, delivery and postpartum area of the hospital was to support this team’s journey to provide excellent patient-centered care as a team.

I enjoy my role most when I work with individuals and teams to achieve their goals. I love supporting the constant process of improvement and supporting people as they perform at their highest level and provide the safest care.

Unfortunately, the U.S. continues to have some of the highest mortality rates in the world. Our nurses and obstetricians have worked to standardize how we treat hypertension, hemorrhage and obstetric emergencies such as a shoulder dystocia or unplanned cesarean birth through utilizing the simulation lab located on the unit they work, completing formal education, practicing drills of these scenarios with Victoria (our obstetric patient simulator) and debriefing together. The team came together to learn how best to communicate and manage these emergencies and continues this practice annually. Health care continues to change, so we need to continue to learn and change, as well. I’m proud to lead our team that is committed to providing our patients the best care possible.

Are there any memorable moments from your work that stick out?

My most memorable moments are when we celebrate awards, such as The DAISY Award or the Caring Kind nurse award. Watching our team members glow and be connected with their purpose is so clear when we pause to celebrate them.

Why did you come to Methodist? Why have you stayed?

It was fate. I was an employee of Fremont Health when Methodist merged a few years ago. The merge was a great thing when I reflect on it now. Fremont Health and Methodist have the community and patient-centered care as their core values. That has been my drive as a nurse all along, so I feel I’m a small piece to a bigger purpose.

What does The Meaning of Care mean to you?

The Meaning of Care is listening to each other free from distraction and having complete empathy. It also involves discovering what the most important thing is and working toward that goal.

What’s the best thing about your role at Methodist?

I am always challenged! I love driving home and reflecting on the “wins.” Even the smallest win can contribute to a huge outcome!

What do you enjoy outside of your time at Methodist?

I enjoy being with my husband and two kids. Our kids keep us busy with extracurricular activities, but if I have free time, I’d choose to go on a trip, attend a concert or partake in a new experience.