Bridget is more than just the CPL for 3 East. She is the backbone of the unit. She leads by example as she continually pursues avenues for professional growth and development. She obtained certification in Transplant and CCTM and will soon begin a rigorous course of study in a DNP program in the spring. She encourages staff to do the same through conferences and certifications, encouraging and supporting staff to submit for the highest level of the clinical ladder based on the criteria of each level.

As she shares her knowledge and expertise with her peers, she works collaboratively with the staff to ensure a positive experience and outcome for our patients. Her passion, integrity, and willingness to go above and beyond that help to support a positive working environment and one of excellence. Bridget demonstrates her dedication to the staff and unit by ensuring the educational needs of our patients and staff are met. In helping to support and sustain a level of excellence at the bedside, Bridget reviews the Quality & Safety Huddle Dashboard daily, compliance with CHG wipes, examines changes in policies/procedures, changes in products, and anything else from a clinical perspective that might affect the nursing practice and workflow at the bedside. Her commitment to excellence from the quality and safety standpoint is evident in our unit’s NDNQI performance indicators, where the unit exceeded in all 6 categories in FY2022.

Bridget firmly believes that a team approach ensures a positive and collaborative working environment. So as a team player, the staff can count on her for her assistance during an RRT or just helping out when acuity is high, and staffing is not so adequate to get patients up out of bed to the chair, ambulate them in the hall, and even so far as washing patients and changing linens. Bridget has a strong work ethic, and her selflessness is always about putting the patient first. Her enthusiasm for teaching and sharing her knowledge is actively demonstrated throughout the year as she teaches in the Nurse Residency Program (NRP), the nurse preceptor course, and the skills day for new nurse onboarding.

In addition, she is an Advisory Board Member of the NRP, which meets quarterly to evaluate the NRP and orientation programs, is the Policy & Procedure Committee Chair, created the CCT basic rhythm course for Jefferson to meet the needs of the CCT job description, fit tested hospital staff for the new N95’s, submitted an abstract to Magnet 2022 based off a unit nurse report handoff project, and developed script and visual instructions for the following educational videos: ceiling lifts, central line change, and chest tubes.

Bridget continues to be actively involved in the training education for inpatient peritoneal dialysis. She created Jefferson-specific education for manual exchanges and a PD video that all inpatient unit managers and unit educators received to educate their staff. I just shared only a glimpse into Bridget’s dedication to her role as a Clinical Practice Leader on the unit. Bridget is driven to advance and lead in her profession as an educator. I have worked with Bridget for nearly 23 years, and I can honestly say her actions speak louder than words.