Rachel Tillman liked what she was hearing about MiraVista’s mission for staff and patients while being interviewed for the Director of Education at the behavioral health hospital that offers inpatient psychiatric care for adults and adolescents and outpatient substance use services.
“The vision outlined was one of engagement,” said Tillman who is completing her second master’s degree and beginning studies for a doctorate in nursing practice degree. “It seemed like it was really fertile ground for someone with a lot of ideas and that is what interested me. It was something I really wanted to be a part of.”
Advocacy, a transformative vision, and active engagement are key drivers for Tillman — values she recognized as central to MiraVista’s mission and which inspired her to pursue and ultimately accept the leadership role.
“In delivering evidence-based care, MiraVista is open to asking what can be done better, and this speaks to my soul as health care today – particularly behavioral health care – needs a transformational and visionary approach,” Tillman said.
She called MiraVista’s vision “refreshing.”
“The education process involves staff, in reaching out, collaborating and looking at what we are trying to achieve,” Tillman said. “This is how MiraVista advocates for patients and transforms lives by asking what we are doing and is it working. This is how we build upon a system of quality care.”
Tillman recently finished orientation as Director of Education, a position in which she will orientate others coming on board at MiraVista “to understand what MiraVista is.”
“Folks coming to work here – from receptionists to doctors and nurses to social workers and mental health counselors – will spend time with me, some one day, some a week, and part of my responsibility with them is to embody the hospital’s core values,” Tillman said. “I will work, as well, with current staff to engage with them and educate them about any protocols that might be new or different.”
“I am a people-oriented person,” said Tillman of her dedication as a nurse. “I like to work with people and get to know them and their uniqueness. I like to communicate with them and that is a lot of what education is – transmitting knowledge from one person to another.”
Tillman’s own career in health care began more than two decades ago as a certified nursing assistant and home health aide, advanced to licensed practical nurse and then registered nurse who has worked across fields including school nursing, long-term care, hospitalized COVID patients, behavioral health and at various levels including unit manager and supervisor.
She applies her beliefs in the purpose of education to leadership which she sees as “being about leading people rather than managing people.”
“If I can inspire people and let them know we are on the same page, this becomes a much more effective and efficient way of teaching people,” said Tillman, whose first master’s degree is in nursing education, and second in nursing leadership.
Tillman said she is considering a number of topics around professional development including education for staff in relating to patients and the beliefs and values they hold.
“Culture can be anything from ethnic background to religious background to what has formed someone’s life experiences,” Tillman said. “It is important for staff to understand in dealing with anyone one person we are thinking of the whole person and not just them as a patient.”
She added that she will be stressing during orientation the importance of “meeting people where they are at.”
“My goal as a nurse is to positively impact as many people as possible, whether it is relieving their pain or distress from mental health,” said the long-time Holyoke resident and married mother of four whose oldest son is interested in nursing. “I just want people to live better lives, healthier lives and what I like about my current role is the ability to teach others how to do just that.”