Mary Marron, in her role as my preceptor, serves as a leader, mentor, and educator. I have learned that the rest of the team on 8 North considers her the one they can go to for leadership and mentorship as well. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with Mary in my transition through orientation as a new nurse. I am constantly impressed with her knowledge and how she is able to apply it to providing exceptional care to our patients and their families. Her ability to turn every situation into a learning experience for me has provided an incredible contribution to my growth as a nurse.

On my last orientation day with Mary, she really showed that she will go above and beyond to make sure that I am gaining all that I can from orientation. She had set up a mock code scenario in the middle of my day. I had been charting on my other patients, when I was informed that there was a baby's pulse oximeter beeping in one of the rooms. Upon entering the room, I found a dummy "blue baby" in the crib, and I immediately knew that I was being evaluated. She had planned this all ahead of time and had several team members involved. She devised a situation in which I had to act quickly and delegate to the other nurses in a very realistic scenario. Mary had set this up for me to show my ability to act under pressure to carry out the proper interventions in a stressful situation. Nurses from the floor came in asking me what I needed from them, what I was doing, and why. It was a great test and it was a very intense experience. It allowed me to understand and appreciate the importance of our safety checks each shift. Mary's scenario was an incredible learning experience, and one that will change my entire approach to nursing. It was so unexpected, and reminds me that at any point in time, a patient can decline, and we always need to be prepared for the worst. Most preceptors do not go to these lengths to make sure that new nurses are getting the educational
experience like this. It provided me with the opportunity to evaluate my competence and in the end it improved my confidence in my ability to respond in a focused way to a difficult situation.

Not only did Mary go above and beyond in her role as my preceptor, but I have seen that she truly goes above and beyond every day on the floor. Her ability to act as a leader and mentor to the other team members shines each and every day and ultimately results in a learning environment for members of the health care team, allowing higher quality patient and family centered care on this unit. More than anything, her attitude is contagious and contributes to a cohesive well-functioning unit. Mary is never one to be complacent, completing tasks simply because they are ordered. She demonstrates great critical thinking skills when managing her patient's plan of care. When necessary, she recognizes the importance of questioning orders that do not seem to be in the best interest of the patient and still manages to be considered a well-respected member of the interdisciplinary team. Not only is she competent and a good role model, but her passion and dedication to her patients and their families are what make her more than deserving of this award. I am honored that I was able to mentor with her and that I will be working with such a fine nurse in the days to come.