Working at this hospital has been a highlight in my nursing career and a major reason for this has been my ability to work with this leader. As a Charge Nurse, she helped to lead our unit and place emphasis on the meaning of teamwork. As a unit Manager, she continually sets the example of what it takes to be a leader. She leads by example. There is not one task small or large that if she expected from her team that she would not do herself. She is humble and grateful. Most recently we had a patient on the unit who required the placement of a Nasal Gastric Tube. She went with the nurse, who did not have any experience with the insertion of a nasal gastric tube and gave her the instruction, guidance, and confidence to allow the nurse to place the NG tube herself successfully. After placement of the NG Tube, she sent the nurse to take care of her other patients and started to clean up the patient who received the NG tube by giving her a bath from head to toe. The patient had been very agitated and restless to the great concern of the family, and after completion of the bath, the patient fell into a calm sleep. The family was truly grateful for the care that was provided to their family member.
As a leader, she makes her team want to perform to a higher level then they feel that they are capable. She makes the growth of her team a priority. She encourages everyone to strive for their professional goals whether it is nursing or another area. She creates an environment where team members who are students are not penalized for having only a specific day that they are able to work due to their school schedule. She has also been instrumental in bringing team members from other departments into the realization of their dreams. One team member started in foodservice and expressed an interest in becoming a PCT. She took it on as a labor of love to work one on one with this team member to ensure she completed the steps necessary to be eligible to apply for a position when it became available. But, she did not stop there. When this team member exceeded our expectations in her role, she wanted her to be recognized for all of her hard work and with passion campaigned for this team member to be recognized outside of her unit. I truly believe that she has helped to foster an environment that encourages team members to look beyond where they are currently and to a future that is obtainable. We have team members who regularly seek her out to share their goals for advancement within BayCare and ask for her guidance in reaching their professional goals.
She keeps an open-door policy and no matter how busy she is will not hesitate to stop what she is doing to listen to her unit members' concerns. She stays late to work consistently to meet the needs of her team members. She is intelligent, approachable, humble, encouraging, inviting, and a role model. There is never a time that I do not feel in awe of her ability to give everything she has to her unit and team members. I continually feel that I am learning from her and I feel so honored to be a part of her Team.
Jennifer is truly a DAISY Nurse Leader!