June 2022
Sarah
Rainville
,
MN, RN
PACU
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle
,
WA
United States

 

 

 

She encourages staff to look after themselves such as empowering them to think about creative ways they can improve work-life balance.
Sarah R. brings a warm and compassionate spirit to Team Teal. She consistently displays patience and integrity in the care she provides to patients, their families, as well as her fellow team members. This nomination is to recognize her dedication to staff resiliency. Sarah has offered a patient an ear, a kind voice, and sincerity to staff during difficult or stressful times they are experiencing professionally. She provides a safe space to informally debrief after emotionally challenging care situations. Her support is offered to anyone, not just certain individuals. I have witnessed her kindness and patience equitably offered across our dynamic PACU team. She encourages staff to look after themselves such as empowering them to think about creative ways they can improve work-life balance, and she encourages curiosity and further learning targeted toward specific interests. She takes pride in her profession and encourages others to do the same.

Sarah was instrumental in evaluating schedule patterns or shift start times that might offer more respite to staff between shifts. I have seen her proactively reach out to nurses who are dealing with burnout to offer schedule-pattern suggestions that could help maximize their work-life balance. She took the time to learn about a nurse's personal obligations and offered ideas to balance those obligations with their professional goals. She is the reason at least one nurse has remained at the bedside, rather than stepping away due to burnout.

Her passion for improving resiliency among nurses is genuine and palpable. She provides excellent care to patients and families and is a role model for many nurses. She is also a nurse who cares deeply about her profession and teammates. The future of nursing in many ways depends heavily on improved resiliency among frontline staff. Sarah's education, creativity, and passion provide much-needed options to our vital staff members.