When thinking of all of the amazing nurse leaders we have here at Mount Sinai South Nassau, Eileen Mahler is one that stands out from the rest. She is everything a leader should be and more. She is someone who goes above and beyond for the staff, patients, and hospital as a whole. There is nobody who is more dedicated to this hospital than she is. She plays so many different roles and is involved in all aspects of nursing. She not only is the Director of Nursing Education but also our Magnet Program Director. These are both essential roles that she takes on. She is the backbone of nursing at Mount Sinai South Nassau. Eileen leads Mount Sinai South Nassau in our Journey to Excellence and her commitment to the organization is inspiring.
As the Director of Nursing Education, Eileen ensures all staff is provided with the education they need to do their jobs and care for their patients. She sends out weekly education emails with updates about supplies, new/revised policies, CAP opportunities, etc. She collaborates with infection control, the pressure injury prevention team, informatics, and all other committees to ensure information from all areas of practice are getting distributed to all nurses. She organizes the council fair every year in order to get staff motivated and involved in different committees/councils. She holds portfolio workshops to help nurses prepare their binders for our clinical advancement program. She not only spreads the knowledge but finds creative and fun ways to do so. Most recently she made an escape room focused on Joint Commission readiness.
As the Magnet Program Director, Eileen uses her many years of experience at Mount Sinai South Nassau to find new innovations and examples of nursing excellence throughout the organization. She helps the hospital provide the highest quality of care and service to our patients. She showcases the great work that all the nurses do in the magnet stories that she submits. She prepares the staff and hospital for our Magnet survey by spreading her enthusiasm, promoting an atmosphere of excellence, and motivating staff to bring the Magnet culture to life.
Eileen acts as a role model and is someone all nurses can look up to. She's not only an amazing role model and leader but also creates new nurse leaders throughout the organization. She is very empowering and motivational. I have had the pleasure of being on NPC for the past 5 years and now I work alongside her as the cochair of NPC. She always stresses that she wants to hear our perspectives and makes it a safe place for us to express our feelings and concerns. Now as the cochair of NPC I feel as though she has taken me under her wing and has made me a better leader myself. Eileen has helped to mold me into the nurse I am today and is someone I continue to aspire to be like in the future.