In this season of giving thanks, Wilmer acknowledges its employees who, day after day, go the extra mile to support their department and the patients who rely on Wilmer for their care. We reached out to clinic managers to learn a bit more about a few of these very special people.

Nina Bazemore

Patient Service Coordinator,
Comprehensive Eye Care

Caring for People

“Nina always goes the extra mile for patients, transporting them when needed and helping them in any way possible, whether it’s scheduling multiple appointments or scheduling rides,” says CEC clinic supervisor Toni Eller. “She always shows the patients and staff respect, and she demonstrates a caring attitude.” Nina, who began working at Wilmer in 2007 in the medical records department, says that her work today is an extension of that early experience. “Back then I worked with the ‘paper part’ of the patient, but I still took care with it because it represented real people. Now I actually work with people, and I still take that same care with them,” she says. Nina admits to having a particular passion for the elderly. “I just love people,” she says.

Alexandra Collins

Ophthalmic Technician,
Float Pool

Wearing Many Hats

According to clinic supervisor Mike Hartnett, Alie Collins wears many hats, and she keeps adding new ones. She got her start at Wilmer as a float tech trainee in 2014, and in 2016, became the Float Pool lead tech. She is also Wilmer’s Clinical Compliance coordinator. In this role, she participates in environmental rounds at all Wilmer clinics and provides guidance for techs and managers about Wilmer, Hopkins, and Joint Commission regulations. Hartnett says that from 2017 to the spring of 2019, Alie was also one of the clinical instructors in the inaugural semester of Howard County Community College’s Ophthalmic Technician Training program, which had reached out to Wilmer to help fill staffing gaps during the program’s inception.

More recently, as part of Float Pool service, Alie was working with Dr. Jefferson Doyle, who noticed her great work ethic and recruited her to work with him on a new clinical trial. “All she has done is work well, work hard, do her job, and be excellent,” says Hartnett. “She’s a tremendous team player in every sense of the word.”

Timothy Thompson

Lead Technician,
General Eye Service

Ensuring Everyone Has Everything They Need

In the five years Tim has been with GES, he has held a number of positions, from front desk temp to lead technician. “Tim always strives to improve patient care, clinic efficiency, and staff performance,” says Karen Shafer, Clinic Manager of General Eye Service and Low Vision.

For example, Shafer cites an email Tim sent to techs, which read in part, “How do you feel after you’ve performed the perfect refraction on a patient? You’ve spent so much time getting them down to their best corrective vision and then some. The patient is ecstatic. But two months later they return saying their vision has gotten worse and the prescription is no good.” As Tim went on to explain, often there are underlying medical problems that are worsening a patient’s vision. Tim included a link to the AAO article, “The Case of the Runaway Refraction,” that elaborated on the topic. “It’s this kind of education and support that make Tim such a gem,” says Shafer, who points out that Thompson is also a valuable resource for residents and attending physicians. “He makes sure everyone has everything they need,” she says. “Tim is intelligent, ambitious, patient, and kind, and I can't imagine doing my job without him.”

Jacquelyn McDonald

Ophthalmic Photographer,
Wilmer Imaging

Treating Patients as Family

Jackie McDonald began as a secretary in Wilmer’s photography department in 1984, and over time worked to become an ophthalmic photographer. Today, she is a skilled professional who specializes in photographing areas of the retina. But manager Dennis Cain says Jackie’s strengths go beyond mere technical skill. “Jackie’s kindness, dedication, and patience are unparalleled,” says Cain. “When she has a four year old who needs a fluorescein angiogram that requires her to inject fluorescein dye intravenously, I have all of the confidence in the world that everything will go smoothly.”

Cain says Jackie consistently goes above and beyond, often traveling to one of the satellite offices at the last minute to cover for a colleague. She’s also the resident Joint Commission expert Cain relies on during Joint Commission rounds. But it’s the compassionate care Jackie provides that patients notice. “I receive many compliments from patients and families about Jackie and the care she provides,” says Cain. Jackie, who cares for her own two elderly parents, says she sees patients in the same way she sees her parents. “I’ve always taken care of them,” she says.