Brandi Vandeventer of Springfield, a certified respiratory therapist, is the Memorial Medical Center Colleague of the Year.
Vandeventer’s supervisor, Kris Reichert, said that Vandeventer personifies Memorial Health System values in her compassionate work with respiratory patients. Vandeventer also assisted in forming early protocols for treating the hospital’s first COVID-19 patients, keeping safety a top priority.
“She shared her expertise from the [respiratory therapy] perspective to help us minimize risks to the team and provide care to the patient,” Reichert said. “I'm always impressed with Brandi’s personal accountability to see that every last detail is followed up on and that we work collaboratively for the benefit of the patient. Brandi does this every day, on every patient, but it stood out even more to me with our COVID patients.”
Vandeventer’s job duties include caring for patients with tracheostomies, as well as patients reliant on BiPAP and CPAP devices and patients on ventilators in the intensive care unit.
“I love helping people breathe easier,” said Vandeventer, who added that she enjoys her work not only because of the satisfaction she feels when she helps a patient feel better, but also because she loves working with her team. “We always have each other’s back,” she said.
Vandeventer has worked at Memorial Health System for six years. She was the Memorial Medical Center Colleague of the Month for April 2020.
Vendeventer has an associate’s degree in science and is a certified respiratory therapist. She received both her degree and certification from Kaskaskia College in Centralia. She plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Vendeventer enjoys crafting, hiking, camping and traveling.
Memorial Medical Center Colleagues of the Month in 2020 were Caitlin Cantrall, Emergency Medical Services, January; Abbigayle Pruitt, registered nurse, 2E Medical, February; Alicia Beck, Occupational Therapy, March; Whitney Devine, Patient Access Services, May; Karen Clark, registered nurse, 3C Intensive Care Unit, June; Abigail Mustread, registered nurse, 3C Intensive Care Unit, July; Michael Ryan, IS Customer Support Services, August; Patricia Dianora, MHSCI Retail Operations, September; Mary Offer, registered nurse, Medical Imaging Nursing, October; and Katelyn Conklen, Pharmacy, November.