George Mullen
September 2018
George
Mullen
,
BSN, RN, CCRN
CICU
Seattle Children's
Seattle
,
WA
United States

 

 

 

I am a charge nurse in the CICU, and I want to nominate George for special recognition for his services to nursing professional growth that in turn provide excellence in nursing practice and improved patient care in our unit.
I have observed him orienting new staff here for a couple of years now, but just this last week he was orienting a new graduate nurse in close vicinity to where I sit and do my office work, and for a couple of days I overheard this orientation process up close.
In 35 years of critical care nursing, I have never witnessed the level of intention and commitment to the growth of a fellow professional that I did those days. His demeanor was focused, fun, intellectual and collaborative, yet directive in a way that will steer a novice down the safe path every time. His approach appears natural yet clearly organized. He partnered with this young nurse in a way that is kind and clear, being empathetic to someone in a new and stressful environment, not only teaching tasks and the evidence but also offering wisdom and strategy. This truly deserves recognition because this is done while providing safe care to critically ill infants or children and requires a significant input of energy that will be sustained during weeks of an orientation. He not only teaches at bedside but also welcomed this new nurse to the team in an inclusive manner, during breaks introducing the nurse to others in the lunchroom and interacting socially to include a new person in this environment.
At times family/parents struggle with having a new nurse learning at the bedside of their child. These parents were not this way; they were captivated by the quality of the orientation in the same way I was. It made them feel more secure and made them aware of the seemingly endless knowledge and skill sets nurses need to do their work. It made them feel George really had this under control, and they knew their child was safe in his hands.
I had to congratulate this young nurse, telling her how lucky she was to be receiving this level of attention to her growth in her new workplace. She agreed and does not want to share her champion preceptor with anyone!
This level of quality of orientation will set up a new nurse to be successful for years to come, providing quality care to potentially thousands of patients and families.
I can't thank George enough for his energy, knowledge, skill and clear intention to care and do the best job. Kudos to you - you are our daisy!