Jennifer
Scarpena
September 2024
Jennifer
Scarpena
,
DHED, MSN, RN
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City
,
UT
United States
Jennifer goes above and beyond to foster an environment of open communication where students and colleagues feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback.
Passion/Personal:
It is an honor to submit Jennifer for the esteemed DAISY Award. What follows are specific examples of how Jennifer has lived this award daily with WGU students.
As a nursing faculty member, Jennifer's personal growth and passion can be reflected in various aspects of her work and interactions in the academic setting. Here are a few examples: Enhanced Teaching Methods - over time, Jennifer has interacted with every nursing student graduating and preparing for the NCLEX. In order for that specific student/graduate to be at their best performance, Jennifer reviews all the objective assessments completed by the student over 4 years. She takes a deep dive with the student, analyzing strengths/weaknesses and what went well and what didn't go well for the student. Then she develops a personalized remediation study plan considering how the student learns best and the content that needs remediation. Jennifer does this for each student. Student number 101 is treated with the same care, flexibility, and passion as student number 1.
Another example of Jennifer's growth and passion is reflected in her pursuit of scholarship. Jennifer has a passion for research, working on projects, and examining what is known and unknown about a situation. Recently, we were assigned a project to examine the LSH Standing Committee structure. Jennifer carved out a plan of first looking to the literature on the topic and then applying the lessons learned to our college. In the end, Jennifer is hoping for an evidence-based solution that will be a model that works well in LSH.
Empathy/Excellent/Enthusiastic:
Jennifer always takes on a mentorship and supportive role with her students. She moves beyond the academics of passing NCLEX to indulge students in their dreams of why they are becoming a nurse. Where they want to work. What goals they have set for themselves. She is encouraging and an advocate for students. She understands and honors the fact that every student is facing some obstacle(s). But Jennifer doesn't let that become a barrier. Individually she inspires and motivates the student to work around the obstacle and achieve one-by-one.
Trust/Teamwork:
Jennifer's collaborative nature and ability to build trusting relationships with students and colleagues are key components of her effectiveness as a nursing faculty member. A challenging situation that happens occasionally, more commonly with colleagues is when a conflict arises. It can be something innocent, small misunderstanding, or something important to one party. Jennifer demonstrates a calm and diplomatic approach to resolving issues. She facilitates contributive dialogue, encourages empathy and understanding, and works towards finding mutually beneficial solutions that honor all involved. I have a sense of relief if there is a situation because I can trust that Jennifer has remained calm, followed guidelines and processes, and been diplomatic.
What I would consider a more upbeat example of Jennifer's "Team Player" approach is how she actively seeks out opportunities for collaboration on projects. A recent example is Jennifer's offer to develop teaching videos for the pediatric nursing course. She offers to take a small load of students (since our enrollment is up) and she noticed the course had no supplemental study material. She asked the primary faculty about this who responded, "I just haven't gotten to that yet". So, Jennifer jumped in and, within two weeks, should have the voice-over PPT teaching sessions done.
Accountable/Acts:
Jennifer's commitment to accountability and integrity, coupled with her ability to motivate others to overcome obstacles, greatly contributes to her effectiveness as a nursing faculty member. Here are a few examples of how Jennifer demonstrates these qualities:
Jennifer sets clear expectations. Remember above where I wrote about the remediation/study plan? Jennifer lays out an honest review of the student work and has that honest conversation, the student knows exactly what they need to do to be successful. Jennifer also uses reflection and self-assessment for the purpose of helping the student identify areas of improvement and develop areas where the student can grow. In doing this, Jennifer is leading by example. Her ethics and professionalism are all called into play. She takes this opportunity to teach the high standards of integrity and demonstrates this in all her work.
In closing, I want to share that regulators and accreditations expect a 1st time NCLEX pass rate to be above 80% for the state. Since Jennifer has taken her position, we have increased in every state - we exceeded 80%. However, in the state of Texas, which had fallen below 80% (I believe it dipped to 78%), now has a pass rate of 100% for the first quarter of 2024. Texas is our largest state for nursing students- is sitting at 100% pass rate. That is amazing. Kudos to Jennifer!
Leader/Learner:
Jennifer holds a terminal degree in the nursing profession. Yet she continues to attend conferences and workshops regularly. She highly values lifelong learning and has even offered to host a few brief teaching sessions with the team of CIs on topics such as emotional intelligence, EBP teaching practices.
Selflessness/Student Centric or Obsessed:
Jennifer goes above and beyond to foster an environment of open communication where students and colleagues feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback. She is an active listener. She values diversity in perspectives, which, by nature, builds trust and mutual respect. In the end, Jennifer has a way of making you feel you are the most important person when she is conversing with you. This is a gift!
It is an honor to submit Jennifer for the esteemed DAISY Award. What follows are specific examples of how Jennifer has lived this award daily with WGU students.
As a nursing faculty member, Jennifer's personal growth and passion can be reflected in various aspects of her work and interactions in the academic setting. Here are a few examples: Enhanced Teaching Methods - over time, Jennifer has interacted with every nursing student graduating and preparing for the NCLEX. In order for that specific student/graduate to be at their best performance, Jennifer reviews all the objective assessments completed by the student over 4 years. She takes a deep dive with the student, analyzing strengths/weaknesses and what went well and what didn't go well for the student. Then she develops a personalized remediation study plan considering how the student learns best and the content that needs remediation. Jennifer does this for each student. Student number 101 is treated with the same care, flexibility, and passion as student number 1.
Another example of Jennifer's growth and passion is reflected in her pursuit of scholarship. Jennifer has a passion for research, working on projects, and examining what is known and unknown about a situation. Recently, we were assigned a project to examine the LSH Standing Committee structure. Jennifer carved out a plan of first looking to the literature on the topic and then applying the lessons learned to our college. In the end, Jennifer is hoping for an evidence-based solution that will be a model that works well in LSH.
Empathy/Excellent/Enthusiastic:
Jennifer always takes on a mentorship and supportive role with her students. She moves beyond the academics of passing NCLEX to indulge students in their dreams of why they are becoming a nurse. Where they want to work. What goals they have set for themselves. She is encouraging and an advocate for students. She understands and honors the fact that every student is facing some obstacle(s). But Jennifer doesn't let that become a barrier. Individually she inspires and motivates the student to work around the obstacle and achieve one-by-one.
Trust/Teamwork:
Jennifer's collaborative nature and ability to build trusting relationships with students and colleagues are key components of her effectiveness as a nursing faculty member. A challenging situation that happens occasionally, more commonly with colleagues is when a conflict arises. It can be something innocent, small misunderstanding, or something important to one party. Jennifer demonstrates a calm and diplomatic approach to resolving issues. She facilitates contributive dialogue, encourages empathy and understanding, and works towards finding mutually beneficial solutions that honor all involved. I have a sense of relief if there is a situation because I can trust that Jennifer has remained calm, followed guidelines and processes, and been diplomatic.
What I would consider a more upbeat example of Jennifer's "Team Player" approach is how she actively seeks out opportunities for collaboration on projects. A recent example is Jennifer's offer to develop teaching videos for the pediatric nursing course. She offers to take a small load of students (since our enrollment is up) and she noticed the course had no supplemental study material. She asked the primary faculty about this who responded, "I just haven't gotten to that yet". So, Jennifer jumped in and, within two weeks, should have the voice-over PPT teaching sessions done.
Accountable/Acts:
Jennifer's commitment to accountability and integrity, coupled with her ability to motivate others to overcome obstacles, greatly contributes to her effectiveness as a nursing faculty member. Here are a few examples of how Jennifer demonstrates these qualities:
Jennifer sets clear expectations. Remember above where I wrote about the remediation/study plan? Jennifer lays out an honest review of the student work and has that honest conversation, the student knows exactly what they need to do to be successful. Jennifer also uses reflection and self-assessment for the purpose of helping the student identify areas of improvement and develop areas where the student can grow. In doing this, Jennifer is leading by example. Her ethics and professionalism are all called into play. She takes this opportunity to teach the high standards of integrity and demonstrates this in all her work.
In closing, I want to share that regulators and accreditations expect a 1st time NCLEX pass rate to be above 80% for the state. Since Jennifer has taken her position, we have increased in every state - we exceeded 80%. However, in the state of Texas, which had fallen below 80% (I believe it dipped to 78%), now has a pass rate of 100% for the first quarter of 2024. Texas is our largest state for nursing students- is sitting at 100% pass rate. That is amazing. Kudos to Jennifer!
Leader/Learner:
Jennifer holds a terminal degree in the nursing profession. Yet she continues to attend conferences and workshops regularly. She highly values lifelong learning and has even offered to host a few brief teaching sessions with the team of CIs on topics such as emotional intelligence, EBP teaching practices.
Selflessness/Student Centric or Obsessed:
Jennifer goes above and beyond to foster an environment of open communication where students and colleagues feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback. She is an active listener. She values diversity in perspectives, which, by nature, builds trust and mutual respect. In the end, Jennifer has a way of making you feel you are the most important person when she is conversing with you. This is a gift!