From nurse educator to manager, she has been such an amazing force in the PACU. Esmihan always brings an uplifting positivity to the unit. She is an expert in paranesthesia workflow as she published articles and keeps updated in the field. She has worked hard to bring improvements to patient safety and outcomes in the PACU, to making sure staff has been properly informed of new and continuous changes in health care procedures or methods that pertain to our skillset. She helped the PACU improve the efficiency of the unit while keeping patients safe and advocated for nurses.
With her encouragement and organization, she motivates and supports all PACU committees and participates in all of them providing constructive feedback. She also empowers the staff to pursue their education and lets us know of other opportunities to continue our education. She conducts in-services for the staff and coordinated biweekly education and collaboration with the anesthesia residents. She builds bridges with the anesthesia department and has yearly "Meet the resident" hour to welcome them on the unit. She is extremely supportive of better our education and furthering ourselves as nurses while at the same time, understanding we have lives outside of the hospital and we must stay healthy mentally and physically to be the best we can be for our patients. She has an open-door policy where we can talk any time.
When she's on the unit, she makes it a priority to come to each and every staff member to say hello and ask if we need anything. She is a fair manager and is a true team builder. When a patient rolls in the unit, she is there helping, attaching the patient to monitors, and doing whatever it takes to alleviate a busy RN. She is in contact with charges all throughout the day to jump in and help.
During these trying times with the COVID-19, Esmihan has done her best to keep us informed. She is empathetic that this is a stressful time and is always present in the unit. There was never a time that she was unavailable to staff.
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I have been a nurse for 13 years and I can honestly say with confidence that Esmihan (Esmi) Almontaser is the best nurse manager that I have ever had. She is professional, compassionate, fair, enthusiastic, and incredibly knowledgeable.
When I came to Jefferson less than a year ago, Esmihan had a natural talent for making me feel very comfortable from the start. Even during the interview process, she was very positive and engaging. Prior to working at Jefferson, I worked at the same hospital my whole career in a different specialty, nonetheless, it was a very scary transition. Esmihan made me as though I belonged at Jefferson and went out of her way to make me feel comfortable from the start.
Esmihan is one of those managers that makes it a point to make herself present. Esmi comes to the PACU every day and does her rounds, going up to each and every person asking if she can do anything to help them. Even if I am ok at the time the fact that I know she is in my corner means everything.
Esmi always makes it very clear that she has an open-door policy, and we can always feel free to come to her with anything. I can tell you from personal experience that when you do come to her with an issue she takes it very seriously and problem solves right away. She does so in a timely manner, even though she is a very busy manager and never makes you feel as though you are a bother. Esmihan prides herself on staying informed and educated and she encourages her staff to do the same. She keeps us abreast with relevant articles related to current events in our practice. Esmi encourages us to continue our education and obtain our CPAN and as well as do AACN modules to always keep up on the latest. She holds frequent staff meetings, in-services to keep us in the loop and always makes sure any questions or concerns are addressed.
I attended a Pharmacology Dinner with her a few months ago and she was very inquisitive, asking questions pertaining to PACU so she would be in the know for our unit. I've told you everything that makes Esmihan a fantastic manager but what makes her a fabulous human being is why I hold her near and dear to my heart.
Giving me this opportunity for a fresh start in a new specialty was very exciting but also very nerve-wracking. I have a speech disfluency, so it is not always easy for me to communicate and is sometimes stressful for me. Although it makes me a stronger person, it is often a big source of anxiety for me. Esmihan truly understood what I was going through and pulled out all of the stops to make me as comfortable and stress-free as possible. Esmihan, my preceptor, and educator all collaborated to allow me to type handoff in Epic so that giving report would be tremendously easier. This one thing that they took the time to do made a world of a difference for me and allowed me to breathe without constant anxiety about talking on the phone, where I am at my worst.
Huge thanks and appreciation to the charge nurses as well for assisting me with this every day. People that aren't in my shoes often don't understand how this having a stutter takes a toll on your life. I never let it stop me from following my dreams but sometimes it does take an emotional toll. Esmi would always tell me to reach out because I am never alone. She always made it very clear that it is not and makes me less than but special. Esmi reminds me it is my empathy and compassion that I have acquired from this that served as an asset to my career and makes me the nurse that I am today. Esmihan lifted me up when I felt very down and reminded me of all the reasons that make me special and why I am meant to help others, encouraging me to never give up. I am so grateful and thankful to have her in my corner. She truly always has my back. This woman truly deserves awards and recognition for so many reasons! Thank you, Esmi!