It difficult to truly capture the impact Alia has on 8A since she started her role as Nurse Educator, but I will give it a shot. Firstly, she is extremely present. Not just for the daily nursing rounds, but throughout the day, checking in with not only practice questions but all aspects of care. She is quick to put on her gloves and help with a dressing change or go through how to reconstitute antibiotics when there is no one else to help. She is not only there when we need her, but also when we want her there. Secondly, she is such an incredible role model for all nurses on 8A, not just the new nurses. She is incredible at teaching the nurses whether it be how to prepare medication, the rationale for a procedure, or just her personal experience how to more efficiently provide nursing care.
Most impressive to me is how she handles herself when she may not know an answer right away. On a unit with so many juniors, it is amazing how she models that it is ok to not know right away, and demonstrates how you utilize your resources to find an answer. Not only does this build nursing autonomy but it also helps the nurses build confidence in their practice. To know that someone with so much experience and knowledge still doesn't know everything demonstrates that it's ok to not always know and that asking questions is a part of all levels of nursing, something that is often overseen when surrounded by so many strong nurses. She is an amazing role model, someone I look up to professionally.
The final reason is the most impactful in my opinion, it's the role she plays in advocating for nurses. The hematology/oncology unit is a very dynamic unit. The acuity is high, the stress is higher, as was told to me by a colleague, "its 80% pediatric oncology, and 20% adult mental health", and that stress seems to be funneled through the nurses. Instead of letting the stress weigh the nurses down, Alia has managed to support all nurses. She does this by advising nurses how to problem solve their issues, suggest who to contact to facilitate change, she speaks on our behalf to the nursing management team, she advocates for our needs, as well she informs nurses when their issues are not appropriate to be changed. She has seemed to take on the older sibling role, taking the nursing team as a whole under her wing and ensuring that everyone feels supported and that as much as possible, no one is left feeling like they are left out to dry. She is such a strong nurse, educator, friend, and role model, and most impactful, a leader.