March 2023
Michelle
Grywalski
,
MSN, RN, APRN, CCRN
Nursing Quality, Research, and Education (NQRE)
UCI Health
Orange
,
CA
United States
More importantly, she coaches and empowers the nurses on how to express their concerns and to have direct conversations with the physicians as needed. She demonstrates such compassion, empathy, and patience such that the nurses feel safe in expressing their needs and feelings to her.
When you think about a clinical educator as a nurse leader, you think of someone who demonstrates outstanding teaching and mentoring abilities. Someone who inspires clinical nurses to professional success and passion for the nursing profession. Someone who challenges clinical nurses to expand their knowledge in innovative ways. Someone who serves as a role model for our clinical nurses. Michelle is that someone for me!
Why do I say that?... 2022 has been quite a dynamic year for our unit. Our unit has seen unprecedented turnover, and for the nurses that have remained on the unit there has been a significant hunger for growth, learning, and having their voice be heard for change. We have had a few challenging patient cases that elicited ethical concerns in staff. Michelle rounds on the bedside nurses checking on how they are feeling and offers her support as needed. More importantly, she coaches and empowers the nurses on how to express their concerns and to have direct conversations with the physicians as needed. She demonstrates such compassion, empathy, and patience such that the nurses feel safe in expressing their needs and feelings to her. This year we onboarded 12 clinical nurses mostly new graduates and transition to ICU nurses. Michelle created individual learning plans in SBAR format for each of these new nurses. She emailed the learning plans ahead and also ensured she met each of these nurses on their first shift 100% of the time. What an impression that makes on a new nurse about the type of environment and support available for them. Michelle has also been present at all the orientation progress meetings that we have for these new nurses. To be present for this many nurses with different learning needs and some hired concurrently was not easy but Michelle enjoys and takes pride in her contribution to build a strong clinical workforce that she highlighted this was only a phase that will lead us to build a strong nursing team. She consistently reassured me that "we got this, and we can do it partner!"
With all these new hires has come the need for strong preceptors. Michelle has helped mentor our preceptors especially for the preceptors to learn who their preceptee is and how to cater to the preceptee's learning style. In many of our orientation progress meetings Michelle has stayed over after the meeting and provided feedback and some ideas to enhance the preceptor's approach to teaching. Michelle has shared her own stories as a preceptor and bedside nurse making experiences more relatable with the clinical nurses. We recently solicited anonymous feedback from our preceptors and 80% of them stated they would definitely want to continue to be preceptors next year in 2023. I believe Michelle's mentoring and coaching significantly contributed to this outcome!
Michelle is dedicated to ensuring nurses provide quality care on our unit. Each week she rounds with me and our EIP team doing audits on central lines and foley catheters to ensure quality standards are being met at the bedside. Michelle has taken leadership as the owner of the calendar for rounds which has held us accountable to continue rounding on our patients and staff all year long. What I love the most is that as we round, if she observes or identifies a learning opportunity for staff, Michelle will address it along the way. For example, At one point a nurse was having issues with a cooling device the blanketrol. She helped troubleshoot and then guided the nurse to get a new device since the troubleshooting wasn't working. NOT only did she help troubleshoot but she also initiated a follow up discussion with equipment pool leaders related to that device. What an exemplary commitment to quality and patient safety and an ability to coach and problem solve at the same time!
There are so many examples I have of Michelle and her significant contribution to supporting MICU and our organization. She teaches many classes, writes for Magnet, serves on several committees, etc. What I share here is just a glimpse of the amazing nurse leader that she is and how much of an impression and positive impact she has made on me and our staff. Our patients are complex, our unit functions are dynamic, and our staff are diverse, with several growth and learning needs. Michelle has been crucial in helping those needs be met and she does all this with a smile. It is clear she has commitment, internal motivation, problem-solving skills, leadership ability, flexibility, and creativity! And for that, I believe Michelle is a true DAISY Nurse Leader.
Why do I say that?... 2022 has been quite a dynamic year for our unit. Our unit has seen unprecedented turnover, and for the nurses that have remained on the unit there has been a significant hunger for growth, learning, and having their voice be heard for change. We have had a few challenging patient cases that elicited ethical concerns in staff. Michelle rounds on the bedside nurses checking on how they are feeling and offers her support as needed. More importantly, she coaches and empowers the nurses on how to express their concerns and to have direct conversations with the physicians as needed. She demonstrates such compassion, empathy, and patience such that the nurses feel safe in expressing their needs and feelings to her. This year we onboarded 12 clinical nurses mostly new graduates and transition to ICU nurses. Michelle created individual learning plans in SBAR format for each of these new nurses. She emailed the learning plans ahead and also ensured she met each of these nurses on their first shift 100% of the time. What an impression that makes on a new nurse about the type of environment and support available for them. Michelle has also been present at all the orientation progress meetings that we have for these new nurses. To be present for this many nurses with different learning needs and some hired concurrently was not easy but Michelle enjoys and takes pride in her contribution to build a strong clinical workforce that she highlighted this was only a phase that will lead us to build a strong nursing team. She consistently reassured me that "we got this, and we can do it partner!"
With all these new hires has come the need for strong preceptors. Michelle has helped mentor our preceptors especially for the preceptors to learn who their preceptee is and how to cater to the preceptee's learning style. In many of our orientation progress meetings Michelle has stayed over after the meeting and provided feedback and some ideas to enhance the preceptor's approach to teaching. Michelle has shared her own stories as a preceptor and bedside nurse making experiences more relatable with the clinical nurses. We recently solicited anonymous feedback from our preceptors and 80% of them stated they would definitely want to continue to be preceptors next year in 2023. I believe Michelle's mentoring and coaching significantly contributed to this outcome!
Michelle is dedicated to ensuring nurses provide quality care on our unit. Each week she rounds with me and our EIP team doing audits on central lines and foley catheters to ensure quality standards are being met at the bedside. Michelle has taken leadership as the owner of the calendar for rounds which has held us accountable to continue rounding on our patients and staff all year long. What I love the most is that as we round, if she observes or identifies a learning opportunity for staff, Michelle will address it along the way. For example, At one point a nurse was having issues with a cooling device the blanketrol. She helped troubleshoot and then guided the nurse to get a new device since the troubleshooting wasn't working. NOT only did she help troubleshoot but she also initiated a follow up discussion with equipment pool leaders related to that device. What an exemplary commitment to quality and patient safety and an ability to coach and problem solve at the same time!
There are so many examples I have of Michelle and her significant contribution to supporting MICU and our organization. She teaches many classes, writes for Magnet, serves on several committees, etc. What I share here is just a glimpse of the amazing nurse leader that she is and how much of an impression and positive impact she has made on me and our staff. Our patients are complex, our unit functions are dynamic, and our staff are diverse, with several growth and learning needs. Michelle has been crucial in helping those needs be met and she does all this with a smile. It is clear she has commitment, internal motivation, problem-solving skills, leadership ability, flexibility, and creativity! And for that, I believe Michelle is a true DAISY Nurse Leader.