Top 2020 Employee and Managers of the Year honored at Merit Health Madison

2/22/2021

Top employee and managers of the year at Merit Health Madison were recently announced by the hospital. Michelle Goss, LPN, and unit secretary for Surgical Services, was named Employee of the Year. Marty Jenkins, director of Facilities, was named Non-Clinical Manager of the Year. Carmen Alexander, manager of the Medical/Surgical units, was named Clinical Manager of the Year. Merit Health Madison Chief Executive Officer Brit Phelps said the annual awards are the highest honor bestowed on employees and managers that go beyond the call of their regular duties.

“Michelle, Marty and Carmen exemplify the high caliber of professionalism in everything they do,” said Phelps. "I am delighted to recognize their many contributions to our hospital and perhaps most visible, the compassion and dedication they extend to our patients.”

Michelle Goss, 2020 Employee of the Year

Michelle has worked in her chosen vocation – a role that allows her to serve others – since 2007. Her role as a licensed professional nurse and unit secretary in Surgical Services is to assist patient care teams before and after surgery and coordinate communication with hospital departments. Descriptions such as “warm and caring and “a calm, pleasant nature” illustrate her approach to every situation in a department that is fast-paced and often stressful. In short, she’s a calming presence during a time when most patients are anxious. Keeping the Surgery desk running smoothly is her top priority. Supervisors and co-workers list numerous ways she puts the needs of the hospital, co-workers, and patients at the forefront of everything she does.

Marty Jenkins, 2020 Non-Clinical Manager of the Year

As director of Facilities, Marty, a Canton resident, is responsible for total oversight of Merit Health Madison’s plant operations. In short, he keeps the hospital operational. He also oversees security for patients and staff. Anyone that’s visited a 24-hour, seven days a week fully operational hospital knows it’s a place filled with opportunities for things to happen, ranging from air conditioning and heating failures, to elevator stalls. Marty makes sure the hospital runs smoothly. The full-service facility and grounds never close. Accomplishing each of these tasks during a health pandemic, including ensuring social distancing and proper sanitation procedures, keeps him adapting to ever-changing situations, particularly those related to COVID-19. And, he is known for his ability to present solutions, not problems. Marty is described as an employee that can “always be counted on” – in short, he personifies the phrase “team player.”

Carmen Alexander, 2020 Clinical Manager of the Year

Carmen, director of the hospital’s Medical/Surgical nursing units, has been employed at Merit Health Madison since 2017, and has worked in her field since 1994. Besides managing the department and juggling a multitude of management responsibilities, she often serves on the front lines alongside her employees as a nurse, especially to prepare for the admission of a new patient. Working on the unit can be hectic and stressful. Carmen, a resident of Jackson, portrays a “very calming demeanor,” which brings order and a sense of calm to fellow staff. Further comments from supervisors and peers describe her as “flexible and giving,” and “always willing to put others’ needs ahead of her own.” Combined with her compassionate nature is a strong leader who strives to meet the hospital’s goals of continued growth. Making sure patients and physicians receive the highest level of service is just one way she contributes to patient satisfaction. She chooses to lead by example and has been called an “exemplary leader.”

Merit Health Madison congratulates these team members on this recognition for their exemplary work.

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