Nicole is in the Circulating role in the Operating Rooms and is a bright light for everyone who works with her. Nicole has been involved in numerous projects in the past few years learning all she can about Operating room nursing.
This past year when we had difficulty with eye protection for laser cases, Nicole stepped up to take a leadership role for assuring all staff involved in laser cases knew about safety concerns and were properly protected. She independently researched the danger of laser surgery and took it upon herself to revise policies and educate her co-workers. When Nicole takes on a project, she is passionate about it and does so thoroughly. She is responsible for reporting all quality measures for this issue hospital wide.
At the bedside Nicole is a sensitive nurse who connects immediately with her patients and puts them at ease. When patients come to the OR for surgery, they are typically anxious and with her outgoing nature and sense of humor, she makes them feel comfortable and relaxed. When you look at Nicole, you can automatically sense she is a confident, capable, and compassionate provider.
Nicole is an active member of our Shared Governance Professional Development council. She has worked avidly on the Career Ladder program, improving the application process for RNs at Pella Regional. She works very well with a team and comes with fresh ideas on how to create innovative solutions that will further the development of a project. Nicole has reached out to all the nursing departments with the updated version of the Career Ladder application packets to encourage more deserving nurses to apply.
For Nurses week, Nicole worked with a small group to create a very elegant welcoming environment for the Nurse Day Celebration at Pella Regional. She does her work humbly but very effectively.
As a team member in the Operating Room, she approaches her leaders with offers of support for projects and improvement. She stepped up to be one of the first for a new scheduling option that expanded hours for surgery and others followed her lead, making this a successful change for operations.
Nicoleshows leadership through mentoring by precepting three new nurses this year in the OR. This can be a very challenging job when surgeons are depending on a quick response in surgical cases. Nicole patiently works with these new nurses to instruct them while keeping cases running smoothly. Afterwards, she provides education and tutoring so they will learn about the nuances of each surgical case and the surgeon's preferences.
It is Nicole's overall demeanor that makes her a DAISY Nurse. It is her volunteering, willingness to teach, comradery for coworkers, positive outlook, and passion for nursing that make her a special individual and surgical nurse.