Jessica is a wonderful, dedicated, caring nurse on the D1 unit. Her priority is always the care of the patients and their families. She is accountable in all ways often changing her schedule to accommodate the needs of the unit. She is often called at the last minute to support staffing needs and at the drop of a hat is on the unit to help. She is passionate about the way she delivers care, always organized, always using critical thinking, and always focusing on the outcome, how are we going to achieve our goal of a safe discharge? At any time during the day, an emergency can happen, and there is Jess at the bedside administering care and many times it is not her patient. Not only is she helping this patient, but she is assisting the other patient in the room to calm and allay their fears. She is a true advocate, she displays excellence in communication not only to all patients but to the interdisciplinary team and throughout all departments in the hospital.
I have received calls from other departments recognizing her for effective communication and advocacy for each patient. She delivers care at the highest level always seeking to keep current with best practices. She always asks questions and will always take the steps to increase her knowledge base. What I recognize Jess for most is her compassion and empathy to her patients. We had a patient that was about 90 years old, had no family and clearly was anxious. Jess would take time to sit with her and talk to her to allay her fears while explaining everything in detail. Jess knew she couldn't be with her every moment, so she went to the gift shop and bought her the biggest teddy bear they had and gave it to her. It brought tears to everyone's eyes as we looked in the room and saw the patient hugging and petting the bear. Because of this, our staff has decided to each bring a new doll or stuffed animal to be stored on the unit to give to our patients that need this support or comfort. The box will be called 'Jess's Box of Hugs'. This all because of a nurse that cared, that is what Jess is all about.
Jess continued her journey with the same patient by visiting the patient on her day off when she was readmitted on another unit weeks later and brought her a new blanket and spent hours with her. She always displays the STAAR standards of practice while on the unit. Her smile is contagious and always there, even on the toughest days. She serves as a charge RN on the weekend organizing, communicating, and mentoring our new graduates. She is kind and knows how to set the expectations and gets the job done. She is also a Preceptor and is a mentor for not just the clinical practice tasks, but most importantly, how we communicate with our patients and families. She is always very motivating and involved in several committees including Unit Based Council and serves as a Magnet Champion. She is selfless, always offering to assist or cover other nurses when she hasn't had a break. She is collaborative and works with our NP and Physicians to meet the needs of all our patients. There is no one more positive, who is always looking at glass half full, promoting team work and displaying clinical excellence from the moment of arrival until her day is complete. It's about, have I done everything that I could have done for my patients, and not about it being 7:30pm and my shift is over. This nurse is deserving of this recognition and does all she can, not only for the praise it brings, but because she loves to be a nurse. Being a nurse means caring, compassion, and always putting the patient first, that is Jessica Walberg.