Generous - In addition to being an RN, Joe is also an advanced practice registered nurse in upstate New York. Joe not only uses his knowledge of cardiology, being that he has over 13-years of working in the cardiology department, he also shares his knowledge of primary care with staff and patients he encounters.

Joe holds three certifications in cardiology, and he uses this knowledge to educate new staff members of the catheterization laboratory and the cardiology department. For example, several new cardiovascular technicians have joined the cath lab. These new staff members are required to take a certification to stay employed. Joe has used his background and knowledge of interventional cardiology to assist these colleagues in learning the necessary components to pass their certification examination. He not only shares what he knows with new employees but he is continuously sharing his knowledge with current and senior staff members.

Staff members are not the only ones Joe shares information with. He also educates patients on pre-operative, intra-operative, post-operative knowledge and primary care information like cholesterol, exercise, healthy eating, and weight loss.

Supports - The I-CARE values are important to Joe and his practice in patient care. Joe is compassionate to all his patients, being that he is a cardiac patient himself. He treats his patients the same way he would want to be treated. Patients often present with anxiety when having a procedure. I have noted that Joe asks every one of his patients' questions about their families, children, grandchildren, and employment to help patients reduce the nervousness they are experiencing from their upcoming procedure. He also educates patients on what will happen during the procedure to reduce anxiety related to the unknown test.

Joe always takes responsibility for his actions and uses all incidences as learning experiences. Joe respects all patients he takes care of, in addition to other patients that are not part of his assignment. For example, I have seen Joe respect a patient's privacy by pulling the patient's cubical curtain while an arterial sheath was removed from a patient groin.

Joe always tries to seek excellence by improving patient outcomes or looking for best practice guidelines that the unit can adopt. For example, Joe is assisting with reducing groin complications in the unit.

Helps - All healthcare workers must work as a team, and Joe shows that. Joe not only works as a nurse in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, but he also has assisted in checking patients in and non-invasive testing in the holding room. He will also assist in post-op recovering patients and removing sheaths. He has gone to the floor to transport patients to and from their rooms and has also assisted patients with nursing assistant duties. In the past, he was the point person for the use of the I-STAT point of care device. He has also assisted in the development of cardiology policies and was responsible for ensuring certain competencies were completed on coworkers.

Joe is definitely a team player in the hospital and has also assisted in interventional radiology and interventional neurological procedures. Joe is part of the structural heart team; monitoring, circulating, and scrubbing TAVR cases. Joe has also been seen assisting with peri-op duties like returning blood products and setting up the procedure room. In the past, Joe was a super user of the cardiovascular software used to document and monitor patients in the cath lab. He will also be part of the team that will be developing and implementing even newer software the cardiology department will be using.

Nurtures - Joe is an advocate for novice nurses. He loves education and teaching students and new employees. When there are nursing students on the unit, Joe is always one of the first to initiate conversation and explain what we do in the cath lab. Joe will also take new employees that are part of the critical care program and educate them on cardiology and interventional cardiology. Joe also feels that he can gain knowledge from these new nurses, as they are taught all the new updated practices in nursing. Joe not only nurtures novice nurses but nurse practitioners too. There are two student nurse practitioners in our department, and Joe goes out of his way to assist them and teach them, so they can become excellent practitioners, not to mention, he also teaches at a local university to nursing students. He feels that these new nurses will be the future of nursing, and proper education will make them excellent nurses.

Utilizes - Joe is an advocate for using best practices. He enjoys research and has performed his own and with the collaboration of others. He has even presented his findings at local, state-wide, and international conferences. Guidelines are continuously changing, and Joe tries to always stay abreast of these changes. He understands the rigors of how best practice guidelines are developed and encourages its use for better patient outcomes. An example is that Joe encourages physicians to use ultrasound when obtaining arterial and venous access when performing a cardiac catheterization. It has been shown that with the use of ultrasound when obtaining access, there is a reduction in groin complications. In the past, Joe assisted with developing a PI to help reduce groin complications, by instituting a practice of obtaining an activated clotting time (ACT) before sheaths are removed to ensure that bleeding times were not high.

Respects - Joe not only respects his patients and their families, but he also respects his coworkers. He respects patients' and families' decisions regarding their care and supports them, without judgment or criticism. For example, when a patient should have a bypass surgery to treat their coronary artery disease and refuses, Joe respect that decision and assist the patient in receiving the best care and management they want. Another example was when a young female Muslim woman did not want any men to be in the room when she was being prepped for the procedure. Joe respected her decision, stepped out of the room, and prevented other male colleagues from entering.

Serves - Joe definitely serves as a role model to other staff members. He not only has a Master's Degree in Nursing, but he also has obtained his Master's of Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Management. He has three certifications in cardiology and holds two national certifications as a Nurse Practitioner, presented research locally, state-wide, and internationally, and has won awards in both his MSN and MBA programs. In addition, he has published two peer-reviewed journal articles with colleagues. Joe also will be starting a Doctorate of Nursing Practice program this coming January. Many coworkers admire his dedication to research and education to further nursing.

Excellent - Joe's background knowledge in cardiology and primary care has made his assessment skills top-notch. He not only uses his experience as an RN when treating patients, but also uses the education he's obtained as a nurse practitioner to care for his patients. For example, there was a post-procedure patient who was having a groin complication, he used his experience and assessment training to be able to quickly identify the situation and report the matter so that the patient would have fast, prompt treatment and prevent any further complications.

Joe is an asset to Good Samaritan Hospital, bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience to the patients who come to it. His knowledge, motivation, and experience make him an excellent nurse and provider to all patients and staff members.