Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Robert Van Buren. I’m the Biomedical Equipment Specialist for the Renal & Apheresis Department. I first came to Texas Children’s as a vendor 20 years ago, and I’ve been an employee here for one year.
Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
My manager, Eric Pickett, asked me to meet him later that morning in the conference room. We had just wrapped up my first ePerformance so I assumed that we were going to sit down and go over it. I was stunned for several minutes when I walked in on a room full of people congratulating me and I was just trying to process it all.
What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do? How has the organization helped you achieve your personal and professional goals?
I’ve had the same career in several different environments, but I never fully understood a teaching that I’ve heard a couple of times in church. The lesson was about what success means to different people as far as money, title and things like that. I’ve always loved what I do, but I have an immeasurable pride since I became a part of the Texas Children’s team and that’s the thing in my life that defines success for me. It motivates and guides me like I never fully understood before coming on board.
What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
I worked field service for two different medical device manufacturers in my career. During those years I’ve been to hundreds of health care facilities or hospitals in 30 states. In my opinion, none of them compare to Texas Children’s where every team member is absolutely a Super Star.
What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
My faith and my step-grandmother. I went through a faith journey to get here because I wasn’t looking for a job when I heard about my position here but my faith proved to me that this was where I was supposed to be. My step-grandmother was a dialysis patient in the 1970s and I was 7 when we became a family. My brothers and I adored her. She was on hemodialysis for 12 years before she got her kidney transplant. She had her kidney for 12 years and when she left us it was actually her liver that gave out. So I understood from early childhood how important and life extending dialysis machines were and how they affected every part of our patient’s lives. Every day that we had her in our lives it was because of dialysis. When I went to school for Biomedical Equipment in the 90s it just seemed like a natural fit that I would gravitate towards dialysis equipment.
What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
Every single member of our team, especially the Biomedical and dialysis teams, who are terrific. They make me want to tell complete strangers what I do and where I work.
What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?
They are all leaders and that’s why the inside of these doors feel so different than every other facility that I’ve ever worked at. My definition of leadership would have to be to just do the next right thing.
Anything else you want to share?
I wish I could share the pride that being a part of this team gives me. I also want to thank my mentor Kyle Hester who helped me significantly over this last year.