Staff Spotlight: Dolly McNair
After studying secretarial sciences at the Seattle Community College and the Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), Dolly McNair started her career at the University of Washington in 1992 as a secretary senior in the Department of Architecture.
Hired by the Department of Medicine in 1995, she was the first secretary to be upgraded to UW professional staff status in 1999, when she was promoted to assistant to the chief of medicine at Harborview Medical Center.
During her tenure at Harborview, Dolly has supported three chiefs: Richard K. Root (1999-2002), Virginia C. Broudy (2002-2018) and Robert Harrington (2018-present).
In addition to serving as the assistant to the service chief, she also coordinates the Office of Medical Staff Appointments credentialing process for HMC DOM faculty and adjunct staff. She enjoys the camaraderie with the 10th floor Department of Medicine faculty and staff, particularly interactions with the three chief residents.
“Working in Medicine has allowed me to appreciate DOM faculty, staff and chief residents because of their awesome dedication to Harborview’s mission, and commitment to patient care,” she says. “This commitment has allowed me to see that I am amongst great physicians, leaders, and caretakers!”
She is also grateful to have learned something from each chief in the last 21 years.
“Dr. Richard Root taught me in his quiet voice to ‘not sweat the small stuff!’ And, after all this time, I truly understand the lesson as he was a strong leader but very calm and mild mannered. Dr. Virginia Broudy was quite an inspiration and role model. I looked forward to her smiling face, her hearty ‘good mornings’ and working with her throughout the day. She left me with this quote ‘we do the best we can, and that’s all we can do,’ which is what I live by today. I am still learning the style of Dr. Harrington who is extremely hard working and dedicated. I will continue to support him as best I can in his many new endeavors and goals within the DOM.”
She has seen many changes during the past two decades from the vantage point of this key position, including growth in the number of medicine faculty, establishment of the hospital medicine program, and adding a quality and safety chief resident.
“Dolly is a wonderful colleague and I was fortunate to work with her while I served as Chief of Medicine at Harborview,” said Dr. Virginia Broudy. “Experienced, capable, upbeat, and well organized, it was a joy to work with her and she was always there to help when the route was challenging or the issue was urgent. Her presence, her experience, and her deep understanding of Harborview’s mission provides continuity during this time of change.”
In her spare time, Dolly enjoys taking nature walks, swimming, fishing, singing, and spending time with her family. Since 2004, she has volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), advocating on behalf of at-risk children and youth involved in legal proceedings in the King County Juvenile Court.
“This is a two-year process and the end results can be rewarding for both the CASA and the children involved when they are placed in safe, healthy, and nurturing environments,” she says.