By Daphne Sashin
Tyonie Walker
On HUP Founders 10/11, the staff know they can count on nursing support associate Tyonie Walker. The responsibilities of a nursing support associate are wide-ranging, and Walker “is always willing to assist others with tasks and go above and beyond to ensure their day goes smoothly,” said nurse Danielle Kuhn, BSN. “In our eyes, she’s one of HUP’s greatest assets.”
Walker – known throughout the unit for her infectious laugh, upbeat attitude, attention to detail, and willingness to help wherever needed – was honored in July as the 2021 Nursing Support Associate of the Year. Founders 10/11 is a 40-bed medical/telemetry unit formerly located on Founders 12, eventually to be co-located on 10 and 12. Walker had spent 12 years on Founders 12 as a catering associate when a position opened in 2019 for a nursing support associate on the very floor she was working and she decided to go for it.
The nursing staff know they can rely on Walker to keep the floor spotless and organized, including making sure that the nutrition room pantry stays tidy and replenished with utensils, snacks, and drinks; the medication carts are always stocked; and the hallway is clear of clutter. But her contributions to the team go far beyond those daily tasks, Kuhn said in a letter nominating Walker for the annual award. Walker also routinely mans the nurses’ station if the unit secretary needs to step away, transports discharged patients to the lobby, helps patients set up video chats with loved ones, and comforts patients. She has also been active in the unit’s daily fall-prevention “ambulation hour,” announcing the daily event on the overhead speaker, tracking the number of patients who walked that hour, and playing music to boost morale.
“We just love her,” said Nurse Manager Elizabeth Carnall, BSN. “When she’s not here, you notice it.”
Before Walker joined HUP, she worked in retail while taking courses in hotel and hospitality management at the Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC). But she always wanted to work at HUP, her neighborhood hospital, where she was born and which had taken good care of so many family members. She was thrilled when she got a job in patient food services in 2008.
“I thought in my head, I finally made it. Every person that comes in contact with a patient is there to make a difference, so I didn’t care what my job title was,” said Walker, whose co-workers affectionately call Ti-Ti. “I just wanted to work with or near patients and shed a little sunshine in their lives.”
When she had the opportunity to work on the same floor as a nursing support associate, she was nervous but confident she could do the job. Walker said she considers herself a “people person” who wants to be helpful, saying, “Whatever I can do to help out my nurses in the eight hours that I’m there, that’s what I’m going to do.”