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BY SHEILA KILLEBREW
Correspondent
Becky Daley sees the first visual cue of her new position at Lexington Memorial Hospital before she ever leaves home. Rather than donning just any old scrubs, she must select pieces from her wardrobe more conducive to an office environment.
 “It takes me longer to get ready in the morning. There is definitely more planning involving my wardrobe,” Daley said.
Daley began working as the interim vice president and chief nursing officer in August 2006. As of December, she accepted the position on a permanent basis.
Daley, 51, a Lexington native, has worked at Lexington Memorial Hospital for more than 31 years. In fact, she began working as a staff nurse there straight out of the nursing program at Davidson County Community College . She said other staff members can boast of a similar record.
“Several nurses have longevity,” Daley said. “It’s the good work environment (at LMH). Lexington is a a small community hospital. Everybody is like family.”
Most of Daley’s tenure at LMH has been spent in one department; obstetrics. She has served as the director of obstetrics since 1984. In fact, she is still serving in that role until she hires a replacement.
“We are actively recruiting for that position,” Daley said.
In her new position, Daley coordinates and oversees the administrative levels of the various nursing departments: critical care, obstetrics, surgical services, emergency, medical /surgical and outpatient. Her oversight includes financial matters as well as policies and procedures. LMH employs 189 nurses and 60 certified nursing assistants.
While she encourages those who aspire to positions such as hers to set goals for themselves and to find a mentor, she is quick to point out she was content to serve as director of obstetrics for 22 years and saw herself staying there for the duration of her career.
“Becoming a vice president at the hospital was not one of my goals. The opportunity just presented itself,” Daley said.
Daley served as interim chief nursing officer at LMH for about a year in 2001. She said she was not ready then to consider accepting the position on a permanent basis. By 2006, she felt differently.
“This time I felt excited about it. I was ready for the challenge,” she said.
Still, Daley casts a wistful eye at her old position as director of obstetrics. She had developed a close relationship with that department’s staff.
“The contact I’ll have with the OB staff will be on a limited basis. That part I’ll miss. Also, (the new position) will be further away from patient care,” Daley said.
However, she said her new position will allow her to make a positive, though more broad, impact on staff and patients.
Daley said she will face challenges such as meeting budgets while still providing resources the staff and hospital need as well as working with others on building a new emergency department. Also, she will be returning to the classroom to earn a master’s degree, a requirement for the chief nursing officer. She earned a bachelor of nursing degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1988.
Daley has a vision for the nursing department at LMH.
“I want the nursing department to grow both personally and professionally,” she said. “I hope to make it top-notch.”
To that end, she wants to offer more recognition for the nursing staff, particularly those who choose to stay a bedside nurse rather than advance through the ranks.
“I want to empower the nurses to be more responsible and accountable,” Daley said.
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