May 2022
Kendall
Wright
Gardner-Webb University
Boiling Springs
,
NC
United States

 

 

 

I watched Kendall interact with new mothers with compassion and a sense of caring that only a mature nurse would be expected to deliver. She became a part of our L&D team instantly.
Kendall is passionate about being the best nurse she can be. From the moment Kendall and I spoke, I knew she was going to be successful. Kendall was hoping to complete hours of preceptorship before the delivery of her child. Due to the preceptor’s illness, she was not able to. Kendall bounced back 6 weeks post-partum, immediately taking on 12-hour night shifts. Kendall is passionate about her patients. Many students pick L&D for the babies. Kendall is centered on the mother, the mother’s needs, preferences, and wishes. I was honored to watch Kendall care for laboring mothers and mother/baby couplets. The respect, compassion, and dedication Kendall provides touches my heart. I feel that Kendall is very deserving. She goes out of her way to help patients and help other nurses. It has been an honor to work with Kendall Wright.

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I have been a bedside nurse and nurse leader for 36 years and have precepted and mentored many student nurses. Kendall is second to none and exceeded my expectations on day 1. She came not only intellectually prepared, she also exuded the core characteristics of an excellent caregiver. In action and in word, she exemplified the art of genuine compassion. She connected with every patient she encountered. She came full of motivation and passion for our daily work. She demonstrated exceptional skill sets that typically are not found in the new graduate. It is rare that I feel comfortable allowing a student nurse to perform a vaginal exam on the laboring patient, even in the teaching environment. Because Kendall had already earned the patient's trust, I had no problem imparting to Kendall the concept and following me in the hands-on opportunity for this assessment when appropriate. She successfully inserted intravenous catheters, urethral catheters, performed many blood glucose finger sticks in the management of gestational diabetic moms and neonates and has conducted numerous accurate maternal and neonatal assessments. We sought every opportunity to expose her to the best experience possible. Her energy was contagious! Students are not credentialed to enter patient care data; however, last week, she proactively took my paper fetal monitor strip and interpreted it without error, and cross referenced her interpretations to my electronic documentation. She validated her understanding of our electronic fetal monitor discussions. Our providers have even taken notice of her extraordinary proficiency, communication style, and spirit of helpfulness. Kendall sought out opportunities to learn beyond our shift assignment. She did not hesitate to follow another nurse for procedures when our assignment was complete or between tasks. She was a pleasure to mentor. After the first shift or two, I felt I was more the mentor than the preceptor due to her preparedness for her internship. I merely had to connect a few dots and serve as her resource. I watched her interact with new mothers with compassion and a sense of caring that only a mature nurse would be expected to deliver. She became a part of our L&D team instantly. So much so, that several teammates wrote our nurse manager commending her work ethic and preparedness. I have never seen a student perform to this degree of competence and motivation. This was repeated many times within our department during Kendall's internship. Not surprisingly, today, I got a text from Kendall that she was hired for our department! I am so proud of her. Thank you for the Hunt School of Nursing's commitment to care and for instilling the foundational knowledge that Kendall so excellently demonstrated during our time together. It is my pleasure to nominate Kendall for the DAISY in training award. She certainly has been a "DAISY" to our patient population and an inspiration for all who have been fortunate enough to have worked with her---myself included. 

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I have had the pleasure of working alongside Kendall as she has done her preceptorship here on our unit. Kendall is the best student I have seen to precept on this unit in the four years that I have worked here. She is very driven, and her hard work shows. You can see that nursing is her passion. She cares so deeply about her patients, and she has been so supportive of laboring mothers. I have watched her talk to her patients when they were afraid. She has reassured mothers when their babies have been taken to the nursery for extra support. She has jumped in during emergencies without thinking twice, doing what needs to be done to help out our team. She takes advantage of every learning opportunity available to her, whether it is starting an IV, the chance to practice checking a cervix, prepping a patient for a c-section, putting in a foley catheter, etc. If there is something she is not comfortable with or doesn’t understand, she will ask co-workers or providers to explain it to her so that she is prepared in the future. In August, I will begin my own journey as a nursing student, and Kendall has shown me what a great nursing student looks like. I aspire to be at least half the student she has been, and even though we have been here to teach her, she has taught us as well. The nursing field needs someone like her. Someone that brings brightness and great care to our patients.