Minerva is not only committed to helping others but she invests in her own growth and development. She has worked hard to become a PCCN certified nurse. She works closely with the unit leadership to advocate and be a liaison for the frontline staff. She was selected by the Professional Development Specialist and the Management team to participate in VMC Nurse Residency Accreditation virtual visit to share our organization. She was vital in sharing the work of our residency program.
Minerva's overall professionalism and compassion for others make her a true DAISY Nurse Leader as she embodies everything that Vidant Health wants in each team member. She embodies the Vidant Health IC-EAST Values. She serves in multiple leadership roles in the CVIU Unit. She is a Charge Nurse, Skin Champion, and Clinical Coach Lead. We would like to recognize her work in the Clinical Coach Lead role. Minerva goes beyond in all of her roles but is exceptionally recognizable as the "best" Clinical Coach and Mentor by peers. Minerva has a positive personality and a gift to inspire confidence in others. Her capacity to translate our mission, vision, and values to influence her teammates to strive for excellence is remarkable. When she coaches a new team member, she is accountable for validating their competencies.
Minerva utilizes our safety habits and focuses on compliance with quality. Her mastery of procedures and strong critical thinking skills makes her the go-to person on the unit for nurses, nursing assistants, and physicians. You cannot walk through the unit that someone is not asking, "Where is Minerva?" She has that natural ability to make others feel at ease when asking questions. She values that the staff wishes to learn and do the right thing for their patients. She personally welcomes new staff to our team by reaching out to them prior to onboarding. She prepares them for their arrival and answers their questions to decrease the anxiety of being a new employee. Minerva meets with both the new hire and the Clinical Coaches on the week of hire to hand them a survival guide, gift, and collaborates with the Professional Development Specialist to help guide them through their orientation. She has created various tools to include survival guides, SBAR sheets, and additional tip sheets for both the new hire and the Clinical Coaches. Minerva is always available to the team and checks on them often to quickly identify any celebrations and opportunities in the orientation phase.
She is relentless in ensuring the safety of our patients and staff. Minerva inspires the new staff member to step out of their comfort zone to explore and gain the clinical knowledge needed to care for the complexities of our patient population. She also created a nursing assistant survival guide based on unit norms. This ensures that the nursing assistants feel they are a vital part of the team by knowing what is expected of all roles. She recognizes the work of her peers and plans social activities outside of work to ensure that new staff feels connected and comfortable. At the end of every orientation, she meets with the new hires and clinical coaches to find ways to improve our process for the best orientation plan.
Minerva is a role model for the nursing profession and exhibits it in CVIU with a passion to drive excellence in developing nurses of the future. In addition to supporting the core staff Minerva invest in our students. It is common for students that accept a position on our unit to ask to have her as their Clinical Coach. I have no doubt that she is one of the reasons students seek out a position on CVIU. Every new graduate nurse, in some capacity, has already heard of Minerva's compassion and expertise by the time they reach the floor. She is the standard that all clinical coaches should aspire to be. Minerva not only talks the talk, but she also walks the walk by holding herself accountable to Vidant's high standards!