Our team consists of twelve highly-experienced and skilled Ambulatory Nurse Educators. When I think of extraordinary educational skills, our dear team member Angel Barrios comes first to mind. There is something I call the "Angel Effect", in that any project she is added to will immediately expand to new heights and spread its positive impact further than initially expected. I believe this is due to Angel's dedication and commitment to working with interdisciplinary and interdepartmental teams, which helps break down any silo and connects others together to make improvements in patient care for UCSF patients and families.

Angel is a lead educator for three programs and has played an integral role in content development for these successful courses: Ambulatory Clinical Orientation, Medical Assistant Academy, and Medical Assistant Medication Administration. Angel has developed and implemented online training modules for numerous topics, most recently, promoting top-of-scope work by training MA, LVN, and RN staff on medical equipment protocols and how to properly document using SBAR format. Wow!

She's involved in so many areas, and her positive impact has been felt in each of them. Extraordinary communication skills, such as active listening and clear speech, land at the top of Angel's educator strengths, as she is able to articulate her ideas and present information in a clear and understandable manner. I have the opportunity to co-teach a class to new MA, LVN, and RNs about care coordination.

Angel starts this class with a touching story of her own family member who received life-altering care coordination. By connecting the class to a real-life patient story, the learners become engaged in the learning materials and motivated to participate, which can be directly correlated to Angel's extraordinary teaching style. Extraordinary dedication to in-person teaching.

Each month, Angel prepares, sets up, brings donuts/snacks, and hosts a class of new employees, MA, LVN, RN, who are new to UCSF Ambulatory. She teaches them the UCSF ways and sets them up for success in their new role. She continues to mentor staff and follow up with them as needed, ensuring a supportive environment. She trains all new ambulatory staff on the use of emergency equipment and is responsible for assessing their competency. She is caring and compassionate to learners as they acquire new skills and ask questions. She provides a safe space that facilitates learning and stimulates thinking.

Angel's commitment to lifelong learning is evident in her accomplishment of achieving a Doctorate in Nursing. While she will never brag about this excellence, we as RNs know the value of a DNP and professional development. She is a strong professional leader on the Sigma chapter and mentors other nurse educators in teaching medical students about ambulatory care!

If you walk next to Angel on any UCSF Health campus, you will find that she is often recognized by fellow employees. Everyone knows Angel, and that's because of the immensely positive impact she has made working at UCSF Health for the past 17 years. If I were a patient in a UCSF Health clinic, I would want Angel Barrios to be the nurse educator for the staff who are providing my direct care. Staff who are educated and trained by Angel Barrios gain confidence in their new knowledge and skills, which allows them to carry out UCSF Health policies and procedures in their standard work.

Angel brings an additional aspect, which is humanizing our day-to-day work and ensuring that all care provided is patient-centered and family-centered. Angel Barrios makes an extraordinary difference she makes in the lives of UCSF patients by educating Medical Assistants and Nurses, LVN and RN, on how to practice safe, excellent, and compassionate patient care.