Role model for compassion and exemplary practice:
There are some nurses who were born to care for people. There is something in their soul, their innate being that comforts those in their care. You can see it in their soft touch, calm voice, and confident demeanor that they are doing what they are supposed to do during this journey on earth.
Reagan is one of those extraordinary people who intrinsically possess the very best qualities of an exceptional nurse. She knows the right words, the right tone, and the right actions.
Role model behavior perceived as extraordinary:
Reagan is the consummate professional. On a daily basis, she interacts with some very big and dynamic personalities who are determined to push their agenda. Instead of being swept into the chaos, she takes the time to evaluate the situation, gain perspective from all sides and then makes the best plan or decision going forward.
Endowed with outstanding composure and thoughtful responses. Takes the time to really listen to concerns, complaints, and observations. By staying calm in the heat of frustration, anxiety, or exasperation she has a way of rephrasing or changing perspectives.
Readily steps up to help when the unit becomes busy or short of staffing. She can step into any role and perform exceptionally. She makes the patients, families, and staff her priorities. She will not leave until she is sure the unit is safe.
Creates an environment that fosters care & compassion:
She is a role model of care and compassion every day, in every moment, in every interaction with patients, families, and staff.
Reagan has taken the time to get to know her staff. She knows their struggles, challenges, and successes. In many cases, she is their confidant as they make tough choices. She can be trusted to keep private information close to her chest and not shared it with those without the need to know.
When a decisive or tense situation has occurred and it is brought to her for her guidance towards resolution, she takes the time to look at the situation from all points of view, works with the parties the come up with the best solution, and expects that all involved give each other grace and compassion while they move forward.
Creates an environment where attributes of trust, compassion, mutual respect, continued professional development and ethical behavior are modeled and supported:
As more and more bedside nurses have chosen to matriculate into higher degree programs which then adversely impacts bedside staffing numbers and skill/knowledge mix amongst the staff, Reagan enthusiastically supports their decision and strongly encourages the staff to follow their dreams.
When staff brought their concerns to her about a decreasing competency level of a required skill due to a lack of opportunity, she supported a comprehensive training plan to ensure all nursing staff received the education and practice needed to make them comfortable and competent in the task performance.
It was noted there was an ongoing dynamic occurring between the nursing staff and physicians where communication and collaboration were fractured. Instead of just brushing complaints to the side and condoning inappropriate behaviors, she strongly advocated for her proper treatment of staff. Due to her support and efforts, the department now has a developed a culture of expected respectful communication.
Motivates staff with shared vision and enthusiasm to achieve better outcomes for themselves and for their patients:
Change is hard and getting staff to embrace and employ significant practice change can be exhausting and overwhelming to the very best supervisors. This leader recognizes members of her team will customarily resist any modification to the way things have always been. She gets them to buy into the idea by slowly introducing the innovation and explaining to them how it will improve patient outcomes, safety, and potential impact on their workflow. She also recognizes the importance of letting the staff have a voice and decisional input on the implementation. She strongly believes in any practice change, has a comprehensive understanding of why it is being modified and she takes the time to talk about its importance to staff and especially the resistant and reluctant members.
Is a mentor to others:
During employee evaluation debriefing she gives each staff member the amount of time they need to understand the written observations, devise an improvement plan, if needed, and discuss future goals.
She encourages junior staff members interested in getting involved in leadership positions to start pursuing their goals. She recognizes that they do not possess concrete leadership skills but will need to be taken under her wing; to be guided, educated, and developed into excellent leaders.
Accessible, available, and responsive to the needs of others, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving for individuals and with the context of teams:
If you need her, she is there. On a unit that can go from low censusing staff in the morning to full capacity in the afternoon, she steps to the bedside without hesitation. She can be found frequently working late into the evening hours, her day is not dictated by the clock. She consciously decided and is determined to consistently have personal contact with the evening and night nursing staff. She never gives you a feeling that you are disrupting her or should not have called her. She never leaves her staff without appropriate staffing resources even if that means she keeps on working. She has our back.
Promotes and enhances the image of nursing within the organization, the community, and the profession:
Consistently a principal participant in organization-wide projects which has a significant impact on how new programs and change is rolled out to everyone in the system. She brings to these projects thoughtful insight, determination to get it right the first time, and the ability to collaborate with a variety of diverse personalities.
Devoted to reaching out and offering support to our community by manning information booths at public events. When an idea of an annual memorial event was brought to Reagan, she gave her full support to the concept and worked hard to ensure the event was flawless in its execution and presentation.