UAB Health System
Connie White-Williams, R.N.
Cardiothoracic Transplant Coordinator (left)
Candace Grimes-Smiley, R.N.Nurse Manager, Cardiovascular Surgery (center)
Darcey Ansley, R.N.
Nurse Manager, Heart Transplant Intensive Care Unit (right)
619 19 th Street South
Birmingham AL 35249
Phone: 205- 934-9999
Website: www.health.uab.edu
Quote: “Be Kinder than Necessary” From Life’s Little Instruction Book H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Candace Grimes-Smiley
Title: Nurse Manager
Company/Organization: University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital
Address: 620 19 th Street, Birmingham, AL 35249
Phone: 205-934-2949
Fax: 205-975-6805
E-mail: csmiley@uabmc.edu
Company/Organization Brief Mission:
• UAB Hospital provides a continuum of health services of the highest quality supported through the most advanced scientific and technological clinical practices.
• We will set the national standard of health care delivery with an emphasis on patient care, teaching, and research.
• These commitments recognize our primary responsibility to the citizens of Alabama and support the overall mission of the UAB Health System and UAB Hospital.
Job description:
• Position responsible for the direction of the operations Nursing unit to insure quality patient care, competent and responsible personnel management and cost efficient and effective utilization of unit resources; demonstrates effective communication skills with patients, families, visitors, physicians, and other hospital personnel; responsible for supporting the values and goals of University Hospital. May respond to the unit specific need of neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients as the need arises.
Length of service: 3 years
Favorite Awards & Honors: My favorite award is the “Caring” Award that I received from UAB Hospital. It was an honor to be recognized by my peers as well as patients.
Education: Bachelors Degree in Social Welfare, Bachelors in Nursing
Family: I am married to Anthony Bruce Smiley. I have a 9 year old son, Anthony Bruce Smiley, II.
Personal Business Philosophy: My philosophy is to embrace change and always have a thirst for knowledge. Remain competent in my career and compassionate when providing care to patients and families.
Favorite Quote: “Nursing is a force to be reckoned with”
Advice to women in business: See obstacles as opportunities .
Best advice ever received: “You can do anything you want to do when hard work supplied. Be honest, maintain a great attitude, and see failures only as a learning experience.”
Secret to surviving in business: Choosing a career where I am able to make a difference and have fun.
Your strongest inspiration: My strongest inspiration is knowing God and my supportive family.
What being in business has taught you: Don’t let my vision become obscured. Always network and use my talents. Use my abilities and willingness to be able to accomplish and see the preferred outcome.
Secret to dealing with employees: See and focus on what is right about people instead of getting bogged down with what is wrong. Help to develop their skills and don’t be afraid to hire people smarter than you. Those employees, as a general counsel, by the time the problem arises to my level, there is a path to a solution.
Connie White-Williams
Title: Cardiothoracic Transplant Coordinator
Company/Organization: UAB
Address: 739 Zeigler Building
Phone: 205-975-8611
Fax: 205-975-9792
Job description: Nurse, cares for patients who have heart failure and/or heart transplant.
Length of service: 19 years
Accreditations: RN, MSN, FNP, FAHA
Favorite Awards & Honors: Excellence in Clinical Practice Award in 2002 by the American Heart Association
Education: Maters in Nursing
Family: married , 2 children
Best advice ever received: Listen and be respectful to thers.
Darcey Ansley
Title: Nurse Manager of the Heart Transplant Intensive Care Unit
Company/Organization: UAB University Hospital
Address: 619 19 th Street So,
Birmingham, AL 35249-6943
Phone : 205-934-9151
Fax: 205-934-0590
E-mail: dansley@uabmc.edu
Company/Organization Brief Mission: In my own words, I feel UAB Hospitals mission is to provide the best care to patients; education for the staff to assist in improving their knowledge, along with research to help provide the most up-to-date treatments. Our mission is also to make UAB a place where people want to work, and patients and their families want to come back to for future care.
Job description: Team Leader of the HTICU staff, assist with day-to-day functioning of the unit. Manage the budget; mentor nurses; work on retention of wonderful staff, interact with patients and families, continue to learn everyday. And of course meetings…!
Length of service: It will be 4 years October 1 st 2005!
Favorite Awards & Honors: Was recently chosen by the Chief Nursing Officer as the recipient of the Annual Nursing Excellence in Leadership Award.
Education: I graduated from UAB School of Nursing in 1980. I am presently starting on my Masters in Nursing Administration at UABSON .
Family : I have been married for 21 years to Floyd. I met him while we were both students at UAB. We have a daughter, Jessica, who is 15. She attends The Alabama School of Fine Arts in the Math & Science Department. Yes, she is pretty bright! I have a son, Thomas, who is 8 and attends Inverness Elementary School (IES). He will be going into the 3 rd grade. He also is extremely good at math. His little sister, Kathleen, is 7 and will be in the 2 nd grade at IES. She is good at being my “social butterfly”.
Personal Business Philosophy: A good leader is one who mentors others and knows that everything will continue to work well when they leave.
Favorite Quote: I have two: “Praise in Public, Criticize in Private” and “Be Kinder than Necessary”. Both come from the book Life’s Little Instruction Book , by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Advice to women in business: Strive for what you really want, and network with others that can guide you or assist you in reaching your goals.
Best advice ever received: Don’t ever compromise your values for anything or anybody.
Secret to surviving in business : Time management! (and a good clerical support person!)
Your strongest inspiration: My grandmother- she was a nurse in the 1930-1950s. She told me such great stories when I was younger, and was my biggest supporter in nursing school. What being in business has taught you: Listening is the best skill you can have.
Secret to dealing with employees: Trust people until they give you a reason not to trust them. Always listen to both sides.
Special comments: Nursing has come a long way in the past 25 years, and I’ve enjoyed being part of the changes, education and leadership.
