As nurses, we come across many types of patients every day. It's a difficult task to make sure that each patient receives the attention necessary to support their physiologic and emotional requirements. That requires a staff dedicated to others' needs, often to the detriment of their health. Though each nurse has the same expectations in mind, guidance is usually required to keep everyone on the same path. To raise the spirits of nurses sometimes overcome with grief due to a favored patient who is about to succumb to illness, or a nurse who only needs a kind nod or a warm hand to hold. Our nomination for The DAISY Nurse Leader Award is Ms. Geilo Tucker. She not only meets these expectations but continually exceeds them. We are so fortunate to have her as our clinical manager that many felt the need to express 'why' she is deserving of this prestigious award. Many of these thoughts, ideas, and feelings are expressed below:
I vividly recall the first day I met my manager Geilo. She had a bubbly personality and appeared to be a very high-spirited woman. She has the unique ability to take a negative event and turn it into a positive one. Geilo is always thinking of others and constantly pushes me to improve myself by returning to school. Though I have hit a couple of snags in the road, she never relents, encouraging me to go back to school to become an RN. In fact, she always goes out of her way to not only do all she can for our staff but also makes coworkers from different units feel comfortable as well. I could not have picked a better manager. I truly look forward to working with her.
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Geilo is always kind, helpful to staff, and assists with patient care without ever being asked. I admire how she remains late beyond her scheduled shift to assist the staff as needed; especially when the unit needed to transition to a COVID unit. She is encouraging and pushes the staff to rise to one's potential and do his/her absolute best. She keeps the staff up to date with need to know current events via emails and flyers. Even when challenging times present, she always maintains a positive attitude and addresses the staff with complete respect.
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Geilo is a manager who consistently showcases kindness, respect, and compassion for all. In almost every case, our working environment is replete with those who manage their daily tasks but confine their actions utilizing standardized basic criteria. Geilo is a manager who gracefully rises above interventions based on standard or basic functions. Every intervention by Geilo is fueled with professionalism, support, and motivation. Geilo is an incredible nurse leader for the Express Admission Unit and a true DAISY Nurse Leader.
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There are many reasons why I am nominating Geilo for the award, one of which is because of her open-door policy. You can present Geilo with any issues that occur during the workday, and she will not only assist you to manage the problem but also provide you with the needed positive encouragement to accomplish it. Geilo has a sparkling personality, and her strengths are complemented by her demonstrated leadership skills. I am quite confident she will make tremendous strides forward making our unit a pleasant environment in which to work.
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My life turned upside-down recently after I lost my apartment to a massive fire. The compassion and generosity that Ms. Tucker showed me began as soon as she received notice of the fire, and it continued each day thereafter. She is a dynamic individual who possesses the highly admirable characteristics that constitute an excellent nurse leader.
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Geilo is very compassionate and a great leader. She makes certain that the staff is happy and stress-free. She is open to conversation regarding work and beyond. Just some of the ways she supports her staff are by bringing in donuts and even episodically offers lunch and or dinner. Thanks to her ability to manage and her caring attitude, and the staff knows they can depend on and trust each other. Geilo is a motivator and always brings the best out of us. She encourages her staff to embrace new challenges through her "voluntold" assignments. She knows our strengths and uses it for the benefit of patients. Under her leadership, we have been encouraged to join different organizations such as ANA, GNA. Many have acquired degrees and certificates such as BSN, MSCRN, BC.
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Geilo Tucker is a ray of sunshine. She gets to know her staff both inside and out. Geilo takes time out to ask us what she can do to assist us; what do we need to make our job better and or easier. She encourages us to be team players.
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Geilo is known throughout the hospital for her compassion towards her staff, patients, and other unit staff members. She is always courteous and helpful to others. Geilo has made many contributions to make EAU a functional unit and plays an instrumental part in the facilitation of family-centered care, by embracing challenges and changes on the unit. She will go above and beyond what is expected to help make accommodations for our patients and their families.
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According to the Young Entrepreneur Council, a good manager should have the following qualities: Accountability, Character, Cultural affinity, Prioritization, Warmth, Patience, Honesty, Decisiveness, Empathy, Flexibility, Competence, Positive attitude. Geilo possesses all these qualities plus one more... delegating. Ask any staff member on the floor about being "volunTOLD" for an assignment or task. This is one of the many things that makes her unique. She's not just a good manager, she is a great manager.
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Geilo is the most extraordinary manager I have ever met throughout my nursing career! Moreover, this view is shared between most of my coworkers! She is always very supportive, caring, and encouraging; but not only to her staff, but also to all the float staff we have been lucky to have during this pandemic. She is often seen on the floor with essential advice, necessary remarks, and a genuine offer to help in any way she can! She is very organized and makes sure we are all updated on the latest changes and new protocols. She is perhaps one of the most hard-working leaders I know and is eager to work 24/7 as needed. She demonstrated this during the pandemic when our floor became the first COVID-designated unit in our hospital. She was working with us, side-by-side every day, ensuring we have all the necessary equipment, PPE, and safety measures in place to keep us protected. We are so lucky to have her as our leader!
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I would like to recognize Miss Geilo Tucker and give her a big thank you for keeping us on track with the pandemic and keeps us informed regarding changes being made during this time. She helps wherever she is needed and makes sure her staff is taking care of themselves, (when not on the floor), by either calling or emailing us to make certain we are alright. One evening, while attending an online class in school, she reached out to me to ask how my classes were progressing. She knew that my education meant a lot to me. She has a great work ethic which I and the staff are very appreciative of.
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A role model who exhibits extraordinary behavior, such as handling all situations appropriately. She steps down to assist us in our work when needed. She provides us with the needed support to improve ourselves. She has always encouraged me to go back to school. She has created a friendly and lovable environment at work which has contributed to our amazing work ethics. Motivates staff with a shared vision. During this current pandemic, she has encouraged us to do our best and remain as comfortable as possible with the ultimate goals to have better patient outcomes as well as contentment within ourselves.
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Not a day goes by without her asking me if I need help, or if I'm caught up. It's like no task is below her as a manager. She helps with everything. She respects all of us and is such a fair person. She's so honest, it's like talking to a trusted parent when we are dealing with Geilo. We are always reminded not to forget our human touch, and to consider it as if the patient was one of us was in the bed. At each one-to-one session, Geilo encourages us to consistently improve; to continually strive to reach our goals, and she will even go as far as obtaining any extra materials or information we might require to go back to school to advance our education. Upon my arrival from the float pool to 3300, I felt so welcome. Geilo is just a fantastic person who you can go to for just about anything.
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During the past 12 years of my employment, I have never had a manager such as Geilo. Not only is she an amazing leader and nurse, but she is a kind and compassionate friend who constantly lends an ear to listen to the concerns and comments of her team. I can't even count the number of times I'd find Geilo changing my patient's bed linen during a busy shift, or putting in an IV for one of my patients, or even sitting me down to calm me, allowing me to reset my brain during a particularly difficult shift; (and honestly, this happened quite frequently during the last few weeks of my pregnancy!) She is truly an amazing nurse leader and we all know we couldn't stay afloat without her!
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In many ways, she is the most generous boss (I/we) know. As a unit, we are honored to be led by her.
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I appreciate your support, encouragement, and most importantly, your leadership. You have been our fearless leader both before and during the current COVID-19 situation. You have guided us tirelessly and always with a smile. You have been our ray of light and hope when we did not realize there was any to be had. You have an open-door policy that welcomes your team at any time your assistance is needed. Thank you for leading by example. Thank you for being you.
These are just a few of the amazing stories and statements of those who have interacted in the past or work with Geilo every day. She is an amazing leader and friend as these stories have revealed. Ms. Geilo Tucker is a true DAISY Nurse Leader.