Lisa Cassia
February 2023
Lisa
Cassia
,
MSN, RN, CCCTM
JMH B1/B6
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Philadelphia
,
PA
United States

 

 

 

When I hear Lisa's words of encouragement, I feel braver and more confident

Lisa is always amazing and helpful. She helps the staff when they need further education and is always there for comfort and someone to turn to. She is beyond amazing to staff and the patients, and the effort she puts into making a comfortable environment for everyone! Best educator and one of the best nurses ever!

***

I am not exaggerating when I say that Lisa is why most of the nurses, especially myself, are here in this organization. I do not even know where to start when I think about the services she did and is still doing for this organization, but let me try anyway. Lisa is a dedicated clinical nurse specialist who invests so much time into helping us nurses learn everything we need to survive and thrive in this profession. We all know that her schedule is busy, but she has always prioritized our clinical experience. She has provided my colleagues and me with a safe and encouraging learning environment. She let us be independent but stepped in and provided guidance when we hit a roadblock or needed more courage or knowledge of how to proceed appropriately. She never fails to help us practice our hands-on skills and for providing us with tips and techniques to improve our mechanics.

Lisa, as an educator, also shared about all the tools we have in our toolbox and continuing education opportunities available to us. I will never forget how Lisa helped me set goals for myself and consistently checked in to see what I could do better or differently to help me achieve them. She encouraged me to take the board certification, so I applied and passed. More than a decade ago, she taught me telemetry and rhythm interpretations and took extra time to explain skills and information I had yet to be exposed. Knowing me, with my language barrier problem at the time, other educators would give up easily on me, but not her. She was always patient and persistent when it felt impossible for me to get that particular skill, technique, or concept down. Secretly, when I hear her words of encouragement, I feel braver and more confident. And honestly, I did not want to disappoint her. She treats everyone equally, is always fair, and recognizes and praises our strengths. Being honest and open about our weaknesses also provided us with constructive feedback.

Lisa has helped us learn skills and knowledge to become the strong clinicians we are meant to be. Regarding interprofessional skills, Lisa has demonstrated superb communication and interpersonal skills and showed me how to work well in an interprofessional team and collaborate with other healthcare professionals, which helped me improve myself. She took great care of us nurses and did not fail to inspire me with how effortless it is for her to create meaningful relationships and connections with our patients. She comes in early in the morning, starts doing oral care, and gives the most attention to a patient who needs it. I thank Lisa for fueling my eagerness to learn and showing me that this profession entails lifelong learning.

Most importantly, I am very thankful for Lisa lifting me and providing the sincerest words of encouragement when I failed and felt like I was not good enough. Finally, I would like Lisa to know that I am thankful for her being a reminder of why I chose this profession and for being such a fantastic role model for me to follow in my footsteps.

Note: This is Lisa's 2nd DAISY Award!