Deanne Bruner is the director of Nutrition Operations at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, a position she has held for four years. Bruner has been in healthcare as a registered dietitian for nearly 25 years.
As the director of Nutrition Operations, Bruner is responsible for making sure patients are on the correct diets. She is also responsible for making sure their orders are taken correctly.
Bruner oversees all the hosts, hostesses and dietitians in the hospital.
“One thing I love about this job is the people interaction and the fact that I’m not always the bad person,” Bruner said. “When I was a nursing home administrator, I was always the person who had to handle resident abuse allegations, resident complaints, or family complaints.”
Initially Bruner wanted to be a registered nurse but once she realized certain aspects of nursing were distasteful to her, she decided to pursue a career as a registered dietitian.
“I was going into nursing and I hated nursing school,” Bruner said. “I didn’t like touching on people and seeing people wrapped up in bandages. That just wasn’t for me.”
Bruner explained that with this job she gets to be a mentor to younger dietitians and be more hands on. Bruner said that one of the more frustrating parts about her job is having to explain to subordinates why certain tasks should be done instead of her subordinates just doing it.
“When I started in my career, I was in my early 20s and I was raised that you do what your boss says,” Bruner said. “Now with a younger population you have to alter your managerial skills and explain to your subordinates what’s in it for them.”
Bruner said she loves her job and is not opposed to explaining to her subordinates why they should do a certain task. It is important to get your subordinates engaged in doing a task because, if they don’t understand why they must do it, it won’t be done even if they are reprimanded, she added.
Bruner explained that she generally tries to be a good manager. She tries to be honest, fair and direct and hopes that her methods are successful.
Rebecca Kellen, a patient services manager at TMH, has worked with Bruner for four years and described Bruner as a person who is caring, knowledgeable, and fair.
“When I was having an issue with another senior manager she listened to my concerns and took action,” Kellen said. “She went to that senior manager and mediated the situation.”
Henry Richardson, a sous chef in the dietary department at TMH, has also worked with Bruner for four years and said he enjoys working with her.
“What I can say about Deanne is that she is consistent, direct, and fair,” Richardson said.