Kathleen Cappucci
November 2020
Kathleen
Cappucci
,
BSN, RN, CPN
Inpatient Surgical Unit
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston
,
MA
United States
Unbeknownst to this student, Kathleen took it upon herself to try and help this patient/student.
Extraordinary: beyond what is usual, exceptional in character, noteworthy, remarkable.
Kathleen portrays all of the core values for this Award including excellence, empathy, teamwork, educator, and collaborator. Kathleen was assigned to care for a post-operative patient whose length of stay was less than 23 hours. In the very short amount of time Kathleen took care of this patient, she learned that her patient was a senior nursing student. This patient recently found out they would not be graduating that semester and would have to do an extra semester in college in order to fulfill the senior nursing practicum requirements. Because this patient had surgery as well as COVID restrictions with nursing students in the inpatient hospital setting, the nursing school was unable to find a proper placement for this student to achieve this final requirement prior to graduating.
After the patient was discharged, I heard Kathleen speaking to her colleagues about this patient. She could not believe this patient was going to have to do an entire extra semester of college just to fulfill approximately 72 hours of clinical nursing time. Kathleen could have easily verbalized her thoughts to her peers and left it for what it was. An unfortunate situation for a college student. But she didn’t.
With over 30 years of nursing experience, most of which her career has been spent at BCH, Kathleen knows the importance of the Student Nurse Senior Practicum Program. This program is designed for the senior nursing student as a culmination of their knowledge, skills, and experience. The student is provided an immersion experience, under the direct supervision of a professional nurse preceptor. The Senior Practicum student is given the opportunity to provide safe patient care through the use of nursing assessment, implementation of patient care plans, and evaluating patient outcomes. Instead of looking at the problem and doing nothing, Kathleen came up with a solution.
Unbeknownst to this student, Kathleen took it upon herself to try and help this patient/student. She went through the chain of command and explained this senior nursing student’s predicament. She offered to take this student under her own wing and volunteered to be the sole nurse preceptor for this nursing student. Senior leadership was completely on board with Kathleen’s proposal, and she was able to convince the nursing school to allow this student to complete her required clinical hours that semester in order to graduate on time. The senior practicum experience is an effective and innovative means to facilitate the development of student clinical competence and confidence for practice.
As a leader, Kathleen knows that the education of student nurses is the foundation on which quality and patient safety are built. It is critical that students be prepared to meet clinical challenges that they may not have encountered directly, but for which they must be prepared. Kathleen has been invaluable in this role and worked tirelessly to enable her student to succeed. She did whatever it took to best support this nursing student. She truly went above and beyond what was expected of her, and she did so without hesitation or reservation. Kathleen’s ability to solve problems and make excellent decisions is the true measure of her skill as a leader. It is because of Kathleen that this patient/senior nursing student was able to successfully complete the required clinical nursing hours in order to graduate on time. What Kathleen did for this one senior nursing student without a doubt has forever shaped and impacted the life of this patient/student nurse. I witnessed firsthand Kathleen’s extraordinary caring and compassion in building the leaders of tomorrow and preparing the next generation of nurses to provide quality care. Kathleen is an extraordinary nurse.
Kathleen portrays all of the core values for this Award including excellence, empathy, teamwork, educator, and collaborator. Kathleen was assigned to care for a post-operative patient whose length of stay was less than 23 hours. In the very short amount of time Kathleen took care of this patient, she learned that her patient was a senior nursing student. This patient recently found out they would not be graduating that semester and would have to do an extra semester in college in order to fulfill the senior nursing practicum requirements. Because this patient had surgery as well as COVID restrictions with nursing students in the inpatient hospital setting, the nursing school was unable to find a proper placement for this student to achieve this final requirement prior to graduating.
After the patient was discharged, I heard Kathleen speaking to her colleagues about this patient. She could not believe this patient was going to have to do an entire extra semester of college just to fulfill approximately 72 hours of clinical nursing time. Kathleen could have easily verbalized her thoughts to her peers and left it for what it was. An unfortunate situation for a college student. But she didn’t.
With over 30 years of nursing experience, most of which her career has been spent at BCH, Kathleen knows the importance of the Student Nurse Senior Practicum Program. This program is designed for the senior nursing student as a culmination of their knowledge, skills, and experience. The student is provided an immersion experience, under the direct supervision of a professional nurse preceptor. The Senior Practicum student is given the opportunity to provide safe patient care through the use of nursing assessment, implementation of patient care plans, and evaluating patient outcomes. Instead of looking at the problem and doing nothing, Kathleen came up with a solution.
Unbeknownst to this student, Kathleen took it upon herself to try and help this patient/student. She went through the chain of command and explained this senior nursing student’s predicament. She offered to take this student under her own wing and volunteered to be the sole nurse preceptor for this nursing student. Senior leadership was completely on board with Kathleen’s proposal, and she was able to convince the nursing school to allow this student to complete her required clinical hours that semester in order to graduate on time. The senior practicum experience is an effective and innovative means to facilitate the development of student clinical competence and confidence for practice.
As a leader, Kathleen knows that the education of student nurses is the foundation on which quality and patient safety are built. It is critical that students be prepared to meet clinical challenges that they may not have encountered directly, but for which they must be prepared. Kathleen has been invaluable in this role and worked tirelessly to enable her student to succeed. She did whatever it took to best support this nursing student. She truly went above and beyond what was expected of her, and she did so without hesitation or reservation. Kathleen’s ability to solve problems and make excellent decisions is the true measure of her skill as a leader. It is because of Kathleen that this patient/senior nursing student was able to successfully complete the required clinical nursing hours in order to graduate on time. What Kathleen did for this one senior nursing student without a doubt has forever shaped and impacted the life of this patient/student nurse. I witnessed firsthand Kathleen’s extraordinary caring and compassion in building the leaders of tomorrow and preparing the next generation of nurses to provide quality care. Kathleen is an extraordinary nurse.