Brittany
Hay
December 2020
Brittany
Hay
,
DNP, APRN ANP-BC, FNP-BC
University of South Florida College of Nursing
Dr. Hay is a shining light in the DNP project/practicum program. She motivates me and is supportive of my goals. When things seem confusing she is always available to lend whatever is needed to get me back on track. It is obvious that she really loves what she does. She gives of herself and supports the whole team of us. Her patience and understanding are the one thing that gets me through the day to day of completing this degree. She helps develop professionally and has been a wonderful colleague. I have been looking for a connection somewhere throughout this journey and I have found that Dr. Hay represents USF in the best possible light.
Highly motivated, Dr. Brittany Hay makes learning a joy. On multiple occasions she the extra mile with me especially after exams/unit tests to ascertain correct my misinformation and errors in thinking. This often resulted in prolonged review sessions via phone since I lived a considerable distance from the campus. While employed, Dr. Hay volunteered at the USF Health Clinic, sharing with us relevant insight into the APRN experience. Once, when speaking at a national conference, she acknowledged and included excerpts of my published article, The Impact of An Aging Population in the workplace, during her presentation. Eagerly, I had attended the conference to glean from her. Yet, she respected my research to the point of publicly extending her gratitude to me, the student.
She was my mentor for my doctorate project in nursing. She is patient, caring, intelligent, and amazingly intuitive. We are privileged to have her in our profession.
There are many reasons. As an educator, Dr. Hay's didactic presentations go beyond the delivery of just factual information (reading slides to students) by encouraging collaborative discussions. Dr. Hay fosters an environment wherein students are comfortable to ask "stupid" questions and never feel judged. Her anecdotal stories help solidify the information and provide foundations for real-life scenarios. Perhaps most importantly, she is encouraging but firm, positive, and maintains professionalism at all times. She is empathetic and in my experience, she genuinely listened to my peers' concerns and considered them. Dr. Hay is reliable and always available to help the student- she will stop whatever she is doing to explain a concept, review an exam question, etc. It is clear that she genuinely WANTS the student to grasp the concepts and learn the information versus defend the correct answer. One evening I was one of the lasts students to be scheduled for OSCE. For some reason, the OSCE was extremely behind and many of the faculty left. Dr. Hay was the one faculty who stayed and took the time to debrief with us, late in the evening, even as her husband sat nearby waiting to pick her up. She was in no rush and just wanted us to learn. Another time, I challenged my own OSCE grade. It was the only time I ever complained or challenged a grade. Instead of just watching the recording herself and making a "ruling," Dr. Hay suggested we sit down together, watch the taped session and utilize the learning opportunity. That is the sign of an invested educator. I was very appreciative of that gesture. Lastly, I casually mentioned at a health fair that I wish I had had the opportunity to work with Dr. Hay. Within 2 weeks she reached out to me and said she heard me and thought she could arrange for a shift or two if I would be interested. Again, an invested educator. It certainly would have been much easier to ignore my comment.
I will say this, Dr. Hay's classes were some of the most challenging classes that I have ever taken. But they prepared me for the boards and, more importantly, to be an excellent practitioner. I am forever indebted to Dr. Hay's professionalism, ability to educate, and kindness. I really hope the committee considers all I have mentioned coupled with Dr. Hay's constantly professional and positive attitude. The University of South Florida and the students of the College of Nursing are fortunate to have her.
***
Dr. Hay was instrumental in assisting DNP students with a COVID initiative with the Dept of Health. Through her leadership and guidance, the DNP students were able to have an impact not only on our community but state-wide! They assisted with the development of a process for treating COVID patients that reduced stress on the emergency departments. They contained the disease while providing adequate treatment. The impact of this endeavor is still being realized because so many have benefited in various ways.
***
Dr. Hay is dedicated to her students and her community. She is the definition of extraordinary. Her leadership in the long-term care facility COVID-19 prevention and preparedness partnership with the local health department is an example of her commitment to public health and vulnerable populations. She continues to be a great mentor.
When the pandemic paralyzed all clinical placements for nurse practitioner students, Dr. Hay immediately began to find opportunities where students could log direct patient care hours, and meet the needs of the community. She contacted the Department of Health and was connected to a group that was planning to provide needed services to residents of long-term care (LTC). Dr. Hay was able to place many students in several LTC facilities during the spring and summer semesters, thus supporting their learning and progression towards meeting the requirements of certification. Of course, the students greatly contributed to the health and well-being of many elderly residents in LTC. Dr. Hay's special focus has always been geriatrics, and she is keenly aware of their needs. She was forced to pivot from 'traditional' clinical placements and helped the students understand the rich learning environments that they found in the LTC. She worked with them all individually to ensure that they met their clinical goals, and inspired more than a few to pursue LTC as a career.
***
It is my pleasure to nominate Dr. Brittany Hay for this prestigious award. She is the consummate educator and nurse. I was contacted by the health department who had a desperate need for infection control and risk mitigation long-term care (LTC) facilities in light of COVID-19. I tasked Dr. Hay with this collaboration and she rose to the occasion. Dr. Brittany Hay led the College in a partnership with the Hillsborough County Health Department (HCHD) to conduct infection prevention and control assessments in local LTC facilities as part of a county-wide COVID-19 Response Team. The project aligned with key CDC (2020) strategies and extended the capacity of the HCHD to conduct preventative assessments to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections and mitigate spread in local LTC facilities. Dr. Hay developed a program outline and enlisted two DNP students and more than a dozen adult-gerontology and family NP students in the effort. The HCHD provided a list of eligible LTC facilities and student teams were strategically assigned to specific LTC assessments. Utilizing the Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Tool for Nursing Homes Preparing for COVID-19 (2020), on-site or remote (e.g., phone or virtual) assessments were conducted by student teams that adhered to recommended practices for infection prevention in healthcare facilities. Brief oral feedback was provided to the LTC at the time of the assessment and written HIPAA compliant documentation using a situation-background-assessment-response (SBAR) format was generated by students and uploaded into the clinical course. After the assessment, email communication was sent to the LTC that contained recommendations and links to resources and reported out on a daily team call with the HCHD. Follow-up calls were completed by students one week out from initial assessments to support progress towards goals. Facilities remained in contact with the HCHD through twice-weekly phone calls. In all, 72 LTCs were assessed. It is this type of student engagement to meet community needs through innovation that makes Dr. Hay an extraordinary educator and nurse. She embodies the tenets of The DAISY Award.
***
Dr. Hay is the reason I didn't quit grad school! I've been an RN for going on 17 years and I have struggled mentally and emotionally making the transition from bedside nurse to provider while in this program. Not only was Dr. Hay always approachable, but she went out of her way to support and encouragement when I was seriously doubting my ability to become a nurse practitioner. I remember emailing her on a Saturday while I was at work and asking her for a call back when she had time. About an hour later I received a call. She spent 45 minutes on the phone with me while I was having a "meltdown" and just patiently listened. After I calmed down, she gave me some advice and then scheduled a time for a test review the next Monday. I expected her to call on time, and she did. I expected her to do a test review, and she did. And I expected her to give some standard-issue professor pep talk, which she did not. What Dr. Hay did over the next 2 1/2 hours changed my academic life and had an incredible impact on my career and the care that all of my future patients will receive. She chose to go over BOTH exams even though we only talked about reviewing the most recent one. I know as a professor (and a student herself) Dr. Hay is extremely busy and her time is limited and precious. So when she chose to stay on the phone with me and discuss not only incorrect answers but correct ones with me, I was shocked. It's like she knew that I needed to be encouraged and I needed someone to believe in me and my abilities. Sure, I have a fabulous support network in my family and friends but it's kind of an unwritten rule that they're supposed to tell me how smart I am and how great I'm going to be because they're my people. But to have a very experienced and knowledgeable nurse practitioner/professor tell you about the potential they see in you and tell you "I have no doubt that you can and will do this, well, that carries a different weight.
I know all of our faculty are special in their own way, but in my opinion, Dr. Hay exemplifies the type of provider and mentor I hope to be one day to another nurse in my position. In the midst of my tears and doubt and fear of failure, she remained calm, consistent, and somehow found a way to help me to believe in myself. Because of her, I am in my last semester and looking forward to graduation and starting to practice. Whenever I have questions or need some guidance or advice I know I can always call her even during the semesters that she hasn't been my instructor. When I'm feeling overwhelmed and start to let doubt creep back in, I think back to that day when a test review changed my mindset, and remember the words she told me... and I keep going! Thank you Dr. Hay from the bottom of my heart. You are my guardian angel and I will never forget you!!!
Highly motivated, Dr. Brittany Hay makes learning a joy. On multiple occasions she the extra mile with me especially after exams/unit tests to ascertain correct my misinformation and errors in thinking. This often resulted in prolonged review sessions via phone since I lived a considerable distance from the campus. While employed, Dr. Hay volunteered at the USF Health Clinic, sharing with us relevant insight into the APRN experience. Once, when speaking at a national conference, she acknowledged and included excerpts of my published article, The Impact of An Aging Population in the workplace, during her presentation. Eagerly, I had attended the conference to glean from her. Yet, she respected my research to the point of publicly extending her gratitude to me, the student.
She was my mentor for my doctorate project in nursing. She is patient, caring, intelligent, and amazingly intuitive. We are privileged to have her in our profession.
There are many reasons. As an educator, Dr. Hay's didactic presentations go beyond the delivery of just factual information (reading slides to students) by encouraging collaborative discussions. Dr. Hay fosters an environment wherein students are comfortable to ask "stupid" questions and never feel judged. Her anecdotal stories help solidify the information and provide foundations for real-life scenarios. Perhaps most importantly, she is encouraging but firm, positive, and maintains professionalism at all times. She is empathetic and in my experience, she genuinely listened to my peers' concerns and considered them. Dr. Hay is reliable and always available to help the student- she will stop whatever she is doing to explain a concept, review an exam question, etc. It is clear that she genuinely WANTS the student to grasp the concepts and learn the information versus defend the correct answer. One evening I was one of the lasts students to be scheduled for OSCE. For some reason, the OSCE was extremely behind and many of the faculty left. Dr. Hay was the one faculty who stayed and took the time to debrief with us, late in the evening, even as her husband sat nearby waiting to pick her up. She was in no rush and just wanted us to learn. Another time, I challenged my own OSCE grade. It was the only time I ever complained or challenged a grade. Instead of just watching the recording herself and making a "ruling," Dr. Hay suggested we sit down together, watch the taped session and utilize the learning opportunity. That is the sign of an invested educator. I was very appreciative of that gesture. Lastly, I casually mentioned at a health fair that I wish I had had the opportunity to work with Dr. Hay. Within 2 weeks she reached out to me and said she heard me and thought she could arrange for a shift or two if I would be interested. Again, an invested educator. It certainly would have been much easier to ignore my comment.
I will say this, Dr. Hay's classes were some of the most challenging classes that I have ever taken. But they prepared me for the boards and, more importantly, to be an excellent practitioner. I am forever indebted to Dr. Hay's professionalism, ability to educate, and kindness. I really hope the committee considers all I have mentioned coupled with Dr. Hay's constantly professional and positive attitude. The University of South Florida and the students of the College of Nursing are fortunate to have her.
***
Dr. Hay was instrumental in assisting DNP students with a COVID initiative with the Dept of Health. Through her leadership and guidance, the DNP students were able to have an impact not only on our community but state-wide! They assisted with the development of a process for treating COVID patients that reduced stress on the emergency departments. They contained the disease while providing adequate treatment. The impact of this endeavor is still being realized because so many have benefited in various ways.
***
Dr. Hay is dedicated to her students and her community. She is the definition of extraordinary. Her leadership in the long-term care facility COVID-19 prevention and preparedness partnership with the local health department is an example of her commitment to public health and vulnerable populations. She continues to be a great mentor.
When the pandemic paralyzed all clinical placements for nurse practitioner students, Dr. Hay immediately began to find opportunities where students could log direct patient care hours, and meet the needs of the community. She contacted the Department of Health and was connected to a group that was planning to provide needed services to residents of long-term care (LTC). Dr. Hay was able to place many students in several LTC facilities during the spring and summer semesters, thus supporting their learning and progression towards meeting the requirements of certification. Of course, the students greatly contributed to the health and well-being of many elderly residents in LTC. Dr. Hay's special focus has always been geriatrics, and she is keenly aware of their needs. She was forced to pivot from 'traditional' clinical placements and helped the students understand the rich learning environments that they found in the LTC. She worked with them all individually to ensure that they met their clinical goals, and inspired more than a few to pursue LTC as a career.
***
It is my pleasure to nominate Dr. Brittany Hay for this prestigious award. She is the consummate educator and nurse. I was contacted by the health department who had a desperate need for infection control and risk mitigation long-term care (LTC) facilities in light of COVID-19. I tasked Dr. Hay with this collaboration and she rose to the occasion. Dr. Brittany Hay led the College in a partnership with the Hillsborough County Health Department (HCHD) to conduct infection prevention and control assessments in local LTC facilities as part of a county-wide COVID-19 Response Team. The project aligned with key CDC (2020) strategies and extended the capacity of the HCHD to conduct preventative assessments to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections and mitigate spread in local LTC facilities. Dr. Hay developed a program outline and enlisted two DNP students and more than a dozen adult-gerontology and family NP students in the effort. The HCHD provided a list of eligible LTC facilities and student teams were strategically assigned to specific LTC assessments. Utilizing the Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Tool for Nursing Homes Preparing for COVID-19 (2020), on-site or remote (e.g., phone or virtual) assessments were conducted by student teams that adhered to recommended practices for infection prevention in healthcare facilities. Brief oral feedback was provided to the LTC at the time of the assessment and written HIPAA compliant documentation using a situation-background-assessment-response (SBAR) format was generated by students and uploaded into the clinical course. After the assessment, email communication was sent to the LTC that contained recommendations and links to resources and reported out on a daily team call with the HCHD. Follow-up calls were completed by students one week out from initial assessments to support progress towards goals. Facilities remained in contact with the HCHD through twice-weekly phone calls. In all, 72 LTCs were assessed. It is this type of student engagement to meet community needs through innovation that makes Dr. Hay an extraordinary educator and nurse. She embodies the tenets of The DAISY Award.
***
Dr. Hay is the reason I didn't quit grad school! I've been an RN for going on 17 years and I have struggled mentally and emotionally making the transition from bedside nurse to provider while in this program. Not only was Dr. Hay always approachable, but she went out of her way to support and encouragement when I was seriously doubting my ability to become a nurse practitioner. I remember emailing her on a Saturday while I was at work and asking her for a call back when she had time. About an hour later I received a call. She spent 45 minutes on the phone with me while I was having a "meltdown" and just patiently listened. After I calmed down, she gave me some advice and then scheduled a time for a test review the next Monday. I expected her to call on time, and she did. I expected her to do a test review, and she did. And I expected her to give some standard-issue professor pep talk, which she did not. What Dr. Hay did over the next 2 1/2 hours changed my academic life and had an incredible impact on my career and the care that all of my future patients will receive. She chose to go over BOTH exams even though we only talked about reviewing the most recent one. I know as a professor (and a student herself) Dr. Hay is extremely busy and her time is limited and precious. So when she chose to stay on the phone with me and discuss not only incorrect answers but correct ones with me, I was shocked. It's like she knew that I needed to be encouraged and I needed someone to believe in me and my abilities. Sure, I have a fabulous support network in my family and friends but it's kind of an unwritten rule that they're supposed to tell me how smart I am and how great I'm going to be because they're my people. But to have a very experienced and knowledgeable nurse practitioner/professor tell you about the potential they see in you and tell you "I have no doubt that you can and will do this, well, that carries a different weight.
I know all of our faculty are special in their own way, but in my opinion, Dr. Hay exemplifies the type of provider and mentor I hope to be one day to another nurse in my position. In the midst of my tears and doubt and fear of failure, she remained calm, consistent, and somehow found a way to help me to believe in myself. Because of her, I am in my last semester and looking forward to graduation and starting to practice. Whenever I have questions or need some guidance or advice I know I can always call her even during the semesters that she hasn't been my instructor. When I'm feeling overwhelmed and start to let doubt creep back in, I think back to that day when a test review changed my mindset, and remember the words she told me... and I keep going! Thank you Dr. Hay from the bottom of my heart. You are my guardian angel and I will never forget you!!!