After four decades of dedicated service to Nebraska Medicine, Meg Cordes is marking her 40th work anniversary — including a recent return to her Orthopaedic roots.
Meg began her nursing career on July 1, 1985, as a 20-year-old graduate of Clarkson School of Nursing. She started in Critical Care on the same day the hospital launched its liver transplant program and spent many years caring for transplant patients. That early experience, shaped by the guidance of her preceptor Linda Dye, laid the foundation for Meg’s values: kindness, respect, and listening.
She later served as a nursing resource coordinator, then stepped into leadership in 2010 as associate nurse manager for 9 North, an orthopaedic unit in Clarkson Tower. That role, under the mentorship of Michelle Freeman, now Executive Director of Acute Care Services and Nursing Practice, sparked a pivotal shift toward leadership.
Meg’s leadership journey continued across several inpatient and ambulatory roles, but in 2023 she returned to Orthopaedics as manager of the Orthopaedic Clinic, which spans Lauritzen Outpatient Center, Bellevue Medical Center, and Village Pointe Health Center. The transition from inpatient to ambulatory came with a learning curve — from scheduling templates to budgeting — but Meg embraced the challenge with the same steady heart and team-first focus that has defined her career.
“I love building relationships with my team,” Meg says. “And here in the clinic, I’ve been able to build great partnerships with the physicians and advanced practice providers. I may not always have the answer, but I always know who to ask.”
In 2022, she received the DAISY Nurse Leader Award at Bellevue Medical Center — a testament to her enduring impact on staff and patients alike.
As she celebrates 40 years of service (and 40 years of marriage this fall), Meg remains grateful for the opportunities she’s had and the people she’s served alongside. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but Nebraska Medicine.”