Mary K
Salas
December 2024
Mary K
Salas
,
MSN, RN, APRN-AGCNS-BC
Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center
Antioch
,
CA
United States
Her energy and enthusiasm are unmatched, and she is a role model to all. We are convinced that the amazing care we provide to our seniors is at the level it is now because of Mary’s commitment and hard work.
We would like to nominate Mary K. Salas, MSN, RN, APRN-AGCNS-BC, for the DAISY Nurse Educator Award for consistent demonstration and commitment to nursing professional excellence. Mary has worked at AMC since its opening in 2007 and functions as both a clinical nurse specialist supporting the professional development needs of 3MS staff as well provides hospital-wide education and leading initiatives to serve the geriatric patient population in our hospital. This, on its own, is a very big job, and she still finds time to do more than her job description outlines! Mary has an unending passion for elevating nursing and geriatric care within Kaiser and at our medical center. She works tirelessly educating staff in practices based on EBP principles and performing chart audits, ensuring our “at risk” elderly community is properly cared for.
She recently led our facility in our first research study as part of a KP multi-site study on Nurse Re-Brilliancy. She also participated in or led several other projects: Impact of Use of Aromatherapy Tabs on Sleep Quality on a Medical-Surgical Unit, Improving Sleep Quality on a Medical-Surgical Unit, and Improving Confusion Assessment Completion with Supplemental Education. These projects and studies will be a critical element for us since we are trying to develop nursing research and EBP at our facility and achieve an eventual Magnet designation. She does this because she has great passion for nursing and clinical inquiry in seeking evidence to evolve current practices to match the outcomes we want to see for our patients.
She leads the hospital’s NICHE program, downtime efforts, as well as recently submitted an application for IHI Age-Friendly level 1 designation that the facility just received. And that wasn’t success enough, she asked how we can do more beyond a recognition of being “age-friendly” for our patients and is seeking data to support the next level of the designation. Again, all this is beyond any requirement of her job description, but it stems from Mary continually asking the questions of… how we can better serve our geriatric population at AMC and how nursing can be better to achieve those outcomes. She often brings up issues before they become problems to support her team and the hospital.
Outside the hospital, she attends numerous educational events and fundraising walks where she tries to motivate our staff to join her. Her energy and enthusiasm are unmatched, and she is a role model to all. We are convinced that the amazing care we provide to our seniors is at the level it is now because of Mary’s commitment and hard work. We only see this geriatric care, nursing education, and professional development continuing to get better with her leading the charge at Antioch Medical Center.
She recently led our facility in our first research study as part of a KP multi-site study on Nurse Re-Brilliancy. She also participated in or led several other projects: Impact of Use of Aromatherapy Tabs on Sleep Quality on a Medical-Surgical Unit, Improving Sleep Quality on a Medical-Surgical Unit, and Improving Confusion Assessment Completion with Supplemental Education. These projects and studies will be a critical element for us since we are trying to develop nursing research and EBP at our facility and achieve an eventual Magnet designation. She does this because she has great passion for nursing and clinical inquiry in seeking evidence to evolve current practices to match the outcomes we want to see for our patients.
She leads the hospital’s NICHE program, downtime efforts, as well as recently submitted an application for IHI Age-Friendly level 1 designation that the facility just received. And that wasn’t success enough, she asked how we can do more beyond a recognition of being “age-friendly” for our patients and is seeking data to support the next level of the designation. Again, all this is beyond any requirement of her job description, but it stems from Mary continually asking the questions of… how we can better serve our geriatric population at AMC and how nursing can be better to achieve those outcomes. She often brings up issues before they become problems to support her team and the hospital.
Outside the hospital, she attends numerous educational events and fundraising walks where she tries to motivate our staff to join her. Her energy and enthusiasm are unmatched, and she is a role model to all. We are convinced that the amazing care we provide to our seniors is at the level it is now because of Mary’s commitment and hard work. We only see this geriatric care, nursing education, and professional development continuing to get better with her leading the charge at Antioch Medical Center.