Rebecca is the chair of our shared leadership. She is always planning team events that bring the team together and help to form positive relationships. She helps come up with ways to improve our unit, creating goals and ways to reach these goals. She promotes professional growth in all her coworkers by leading by example. She inspires us all to be better nurses and provide the best care possible. Rebecca is also one of the best nurses I know at developing trusting relationships with her patients. Rebecca talks to her patients as though they were her friends. She treats every patient with respect, compassion and helps maintain their dignity. She asks patients and families their goals for the day and lets them have input on timeline and planning. Rebecca has made the time in her day to take a patient off the unit to get some fresh air when they had been here for quite some time and needed a change of scenery. Rebecca can make the gloomiest patient laugh; her humor can turn a whole patient's stay around.
I was once with Rebecca in a room of a patient who had a trach and was unable to speak without his speaking valve which his facility forgot to send. He communicated by pointing and mouthing words. While we provided care, Rebecca communicated with him in such an ingenious and inclusive way. She let him know what we were doing and poked fun at herself and made jokes that didn't need responses. The patient smiled so big and you could see in his eyes that he felt included and heard even though he couldn't speak. I was so impressed by Rebecca in that moment and as always, was inspired to provide more patient-centered care.
As another charge nurse, I admire Rebecca's braveness and honesty as a leader. Rebecca is not afraid to hold others accountable in the moment and has created a culture where nurses are comfortable coming to her with mistakes and questions. She is also the first to admit her own mistakes and what she learned from that experience. She never makes anyone feel dumb or inferior which allows our team to be open about close calls or safety issues. Rebecca promotes self-care in our staff as unit champion and by example. She has helped enforce phone free lunches, she makes sure our nurses get out of their shift on time, and she encourages staff to do things that refuel them on their days off. She recognizes that you will not be the best nurse you can be unless you are caring for yourself.
Rebecca is a lifelong learner. She recently completed her BSN and is applying to grad school. She has gone to many conferences this year including a CF conference in Colorado. After conferences, she presents what she has learned to the team and applies it to her nursing practice. As unit champion, Rebecca sends out monthly updates on changes and things happening in nursing research that we should be aware of. She also creates, implements and audits our MDI swim lanes that help us put EBP into our care. Rebecca never complains about change to practice or policy. She has also educated me personally on ways to help staff see change as a positive and not push back. This past year, she implemented Commit to Sit, an initiative that has drastically increased our Communication with Nurses HCAHPS scores and has helped all our nurses practice relationship-based care and use caring conversations. She inspires us all to be better nurses and provide the best care possible. She truly exemplifies what an excellent nurse should be to everyone she encounters.