Kayla Martin joined the staff at Shriners Texas straight out of nursing school. She came on board just over a year ago when the Surgical Services was transitioning and orientation to a new job was a little chaotic. The department was busy and predominantly staffed by travelers, and at the time there was no formal education program or educator. The struggle was real.

Kayla persevered, and along the way, she learned not just to be an operating room circulating nurse, but she was quick to help out in Pre-op and PACU when there was a need. She wasn’t even through her entire orientation herself when we hired several other new nurses and she stepped up, helping with their training as she was able.

Kayla has on several occasions, taken on tasks and projects that have bettered the OR environment. On the floors of any hospital, there is information, usually on a whiteboard, that orients both patients and the care team about what is happening for the day. Typically this is on a whiteboard but we had no room for anything else on the walls of the OR. Kayla took it upon herself to make decals for the OR windows which would allow for us to write out information on the glass for everyone on the team to see. Now every room in our OR has these information windows.

She is a team player. Kayla started training a few months back to back up our charge nurse. Then there came a day when none of the people who usually worked that position were able to come. Kayla stepped up. She assigned the staff to each room, organized breaks and lunches, relieved people as necessary, and kept the department moving. It was clear she had some natural leadership abilities and proved herself on that day.

Kayla is a true asset to our department, and I look forward to seeing where she leads.