What makes her awesome?
Alisha McGuire has been working in Respiratory Care at Children’s of Alabama since graduating from the UAB Respiratory Therapy Program in January of 2006.
Alisha’s leadership abilities and her commitment to our patients were evident from the beginning. She eagerly and consistently assumed the role of leading her night shift colleagues. She rapidly gained a reputation as a go-to resource person for respiratory therapists, nurses, and physicians. While Alisha initially worked primarily in acute care, she took the initiative to orient in multiple areas, including critical care units. Her skills are diverse and she is able to function competently in any unit in the hospital.
When the Lead Respiratory Therapist role was created in 2016, it was obvious that Alisha would be one of the first ones selected. Her job performance was always rock solid and I was never concerned about anything on night shift when Alisha was on duty. Her leadership was a contributing factor to the early success of both our Asthma Care Pathway and our Bronchiolitis Care Pathway. Her commitment to excellence has helped to ensure the ongoing success of both of these pathways which have so positively impacted the lives of patients with these respiratory diseases.
Alisha was promoted to Respiratory Care Coordinator in 2018. She has excelled as a leader in this role. One of her first projects was working with Dr. Alishlash to help develop the Acute Chest Syndrome (ACS) protocol. Dr. Alishlash recognized Alisha, in an email to her managers, for her hard work in helping the protocol become a success. Overall length of stay has decreased for patients admitted with ACS.
We have faced many challenges over the years, none so great as the COVID-19 pandemic. Alisha’s leadership throughout the pandemic served to help her colleagues remain informed and steer a steady course amid the ever-evolving guidelines. Alisha addressed the staffing challenges created by the pandemic by willingly working extra shifts on days, nights, weekends, and holidays. She has always simply taken the bull by the horns to get the job done and her can-do attitude is consistently inspiring. Alisha has been impacting the lives of those we serve for over 18 years now. She deserves to be recognized for her consistently stellar performance.
How has Blink helped in her role?
Blink has helped with communicating news about special events to the team.
What does she want to do next?
Alisha wants to continue her career at Children’s of Alabama and to utilize her clinical and leadership skills to provide high quality, compassionate care and to be an advocate for those we serve.
