There’s an old saying that when talking to a manager you walk away feeling they are important.
But when you talk to a leader, that’s when you feel like the important one.
As a nurse, it’s hard not to leave AllianceHealth Midwest Chief Nursing Officer Joni Tiller’s office feeling like you’re on top of the world.
Maybe it’s her easy smile coupled with the fact she possesses close to four decades of nursing experience.
Or maybe it’s that she sits across from you dressed in scrubs and not a power suit and heels.
Whatever the reason, Tiller exudes confidence borne from an ability to exact positive change from wherever she’s been planted.
For years, Tiller was the nurse called to help turn things around traveling from hospital to hospital.
As AllianceHealth Midwest’s new CNO, the metro native finds herself called to simply continue a renaissance that’s already in full swing in Midwest City.
“My style is very different and it’s not a good or bad thing,” Tiller said. “I believe in collaboration. I believe in (nurses) being part of the decision. I come from Magnet. Everything I’ve done is in a Magnet facility. That is my belief and that is who I am.
“I like to create a culture where nurses feel respected but they are part of helping to redesign how we do things, not somebody in an office telling them how to do things.”
Tiller comes at a time when the 50-year-old hospital is regaining its reputation as the community’s center of care.
In her career, Tiller has made a name for herself helping hospitals when they need it the most.
She’s been to facilities that have had six CNO’s in two years.
“For CNO’s there’s a tendency to turn over,” Tiller admits. “I usually go in and create stability and help get culture back in line and make the nurses feel valued.”
A little more than a month has gone by since Tiller came to AllianceHealth Midwest to serve in leadership.
Her predecessor made the decision to step away to take care of aging parents.
What Tiller found when she moved in was a luxury she wasn’t used to having.
“We have a wealth of resources available to us,” Tiller said. “A lot of times when you’re not part of a system you have to do it all within.
“The other thing that is real strong is the nursing leaders, the directors here I’m pretty impressed with. They function as a team – which I love. You don’t always see that in organizations. You see a lot of disharmony.
“These guys help each other. They have each other’s backs. They problem solve. It’s a very cohesive, professional team and that’s probably the No. 1 thing that stood out to me.”
Getting out of the office and onto the floor showed her something else.
“I love it here. The people here … I think they’re the best-kept secret,” Tiller said. “I don’t think a lot of people know the true kindness, knowledge and expertise that’s within this building. There’s some good people.”
That’s what Tiller wants to build on. She knows the only way to convince the Midwest City community AllianceHealth Midwest is the place to go for care is to make sure the nurses feel like it’s the best place to work.
“My job is to help them be able to do what they chose to do as a profession. We get so hung up in the rules and the regs and sometimes we lose sight of why we chose the profession. We chose the profession because we care about people and we want to take care of people. We get them in the hospital and it’s so complicated.
“My job is to remove the obstacles, help them get back to what they enjoy doing and make them feel valued and respected.”
