As the third child of seven, Molly Foster, RN, loved to help care for her infant siblings. She remembers visiting the hospital when her youngest sister was born and peering at her through the nursery window.
But what also caught her attention were the nurses caring for her sister.
“I knew that was what I wanted to do,” Foster recalled.
Now director of women’s services at White Rock Medical Center, Foster was honored with a 2023 Excellence in Nursing Award by D Magazine. These annual awards honor Dallas area nurses who are nominated by peer nurses and other healthcare professionals. An article honoring these healthcare heroes was published in the March 2023 issue of the magazine.
“Our mothers, babies, nurses and staff are so lucky to experience the compassionate care and expertise Molly extends each and every day,” said Melanie Flinn, vice president for operations at White Rock. “Molly exhibits everything you envision when thinking about what a nurse and nurse leader should be.”
Foster was recognized in the category of exceptional nursing leader. “I believe in servant leadership. I do what I need and can do to help my team love their jobs. And I will do what I need to help make our unit successful,” she said. “I also love authentic leadership. We’re all people.”
In addition to leading women’s services, she coordinates the DAISY award program honoring exceptional nurses at White Rock, is a neonatal resuscitation instructor and is chair of the hospital’s Nursing Peer Review Committee.
Foster’s entire career encompasses different roles in patient care – all within maternity services. She joined the hospital that is now White Rock in 1986 with the grand opening of what was then the new labor and delivery unit.
“Babies are precious, especially to their families. I want our patients to receive the highest quality of care and have a great experience,” Foster said. “The experience of having a baby, for many people, is the first time they’ve been in a hospital or stayed the night in a hospital. Women usually make the healthcare decisions for their families. We want them to come back and trust us with their family.”
If she’s not in her office, you might find Foster spending time with her mothers and babies.
4.19.23