June Employee of the Month | Melissa Nicol, RD

The June 2019 Employee of the Month is Melissa Nicol, registered detitian in the Department of Clinical Affairs (Maternal Fetal Medicine). Her nominator said: “Melissa is a tremendous asset to our department; she is well versed and extremely knowledgeable in her field of expertise. She is well organized and her work ethic is phenomenal. Most importantly, she is always kind, pleasant and professional with both patients and colleagues. Melissa primarily works with our diabetic mothers, which can be challenging. She spends countless hours obtaining authorizations for diabetic supplies, as well as following up with patients to ensure they are receiving the best care possible. She remains non-judgemental when patients are not following recommendations and her professionalism never wavers. She is a fantastic provider and a wonderful coworker.”

Melissa answered some questions for us:

1.  What’s your job title? I am a registered dietitian, board certified in advanced diabetes management.

2.  How long have you worked at the School? 7½ years

3.  What do you like best about your job? The relationship I am able to build with patients. It is so satisfying to achieve controlled glucose readings and see these women have a positive pregnancy outcome.

4. “I highly recommend …” considering a job with SIU School of Medicine. As an RD, it is a huge incentive to not have to be on call over the weekends while still having great vacation/sick benefits.

5. I was born and raised in … Virden, a small town 25 miles south of Springfield.

6. As a child, I was … “strong willed.” A nice way for my mom to describe how stubborn and mischievous I could be.

7. My family includes … two beautiful children (Austin, 4, and Adelyn, 2) and my husband.

8. I like people who … remain positive. Life is too short to bring others down with negativity.

9. The most interesting job I’ve held was … When I was hired to work for the Illinois Department of Transportation, I showed up in heels for training, not realizing I was hired to hold the STOP sign in construction zones. After lunch, I found out they placed me in a new position as a secretary in an office instead. Guess they didn’t think I was cut out for construction life!

10. My favorite thing to do away from work is … anything that involves spending time with my husband or kids. We love to attend football games every weekend during the fall. Even if it is a team we do not know a single player. You can ALWAYS catch us cheering on Notre Dame as well. Go IRISH.

11. My motto for living is … “Be a pineapple: Stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside.” As a dietitian, of course the quote has to involve food!

12. The last good show I saw was … Aladdin. It was very cute and I enjoyed it as much as my kids!

13. I will binge-watch… crime shows. Snapped, Dateline, Disappeared, etc.

14. A recent favorite book is … the Tracy Crosswhite book series by Robert Dugoni

15. My interests/hobbies are …Sodoku puzzles. I complete at least one puzzle a day.

16. If I had the time, I would like to learn … how to fluently speak Spanish.

17. I enjoy listening to … crime podcasts. I listen to them daily on my way to work.

18. My dream vacation is … anywhere with my husband. We are often too busy with our littles that it would be nice to have a week away with just him! Doesn’t even matter the destination.

19. Something others may not know about me is … I HATE snakes. Doesn’t matter how big or how small, I am scared of them all.

20. Cubs or Cardinals?  Go Cards, go!