Kim started her career at Atlantic Health-Morristown Medical Center in 2019, where she was the Nurse Educator for 2 years, then promoted to Assistant Nurse Manager in 2021 in Kahn 4. In 2022, she transitioned to Atlantic Health-Overlook Medical Center (OMC) as a staff RN in SDS PACU. After 2 years, she was once again promoted to Peri Anesthesia Nurse Educator. And in the same year, she earned her Master of Science in Nursing Education.

Kim is the ultimate collaborator and possesses effective communication skills. She is highly motivated and organized. No matter how she shies away from a leadership role, she somehow gravitates towards it. In her current role as educator, two of her biggest wins were the revamping of the department’s onboarding process and the skills day. She wants new team members to be comfortable on their first day in the unit. One of the most gratifying feedback she received came from an experienced nurse who said that her onboarding/orientation experience with Kim was the best and the most organized, and stated this with tears in her eyes. Kim has always aspired for learning to be meaningful, and it is important for her that the information shared is retained. She believed that a smaller classroom setting makes a better learning environment – one that is not loud, overwhelming, or busy. The team members felt more comfortable and happier with the change. The new set-up allowed them to ask questions, have more time for 1:1 interactions, and have plentiful hands-on experience.

Listening is a trait that has become second nature to Kim. Many team members feel comfortable around her. They feel many of their clinical concerns are addressed if not escalated and/or deferred to experts. One example was when she was presented with a practice issue regarding blood transfusion consents; she immediately escalated the matter to the OMC’s Risk Management, which in turn escalated it systemwide Risk Management. Our previous all-or-nothing consent process excluded patients who may only want certain blood products or just want their autologous blood transfused to them. This not only addressed patient safety but strengthened our Atlantic Health (AH) value of inclusivity, touching on our cultural and religious beliefs differences.

Her talent extends beyond the four walls of OMC. Her work on Moderate Sedation led to the creation of a systemwide workgroup, followed by the creation of a moderate sedation Learning Management System (LMS) that is now being used in all AH sites. She also just recently created a new competency on peripheral nerve blocks, which is awaiting approval from the Professional Development Council (PDC).

Kim’s involvement spans unit-based and hospital Shared Governance, PDC, which partakes in many subcommittees she has been part of, like Shared Governance Awards Dinner, Nurses’ Week, and Nursing Grand Rounds, where she ably assists in the application of continuing education units (CEUs). She has also been an active member of the AH PACU Phase 1 Subcommittee, where she has been an active proponent of the many changes aimed at improving our practice, including but not limited to policy revisions and Epic updates, especially in our PACU flowsheet. Her creative collaboration with other departments, like Labor and Delivery (providing in-service to address safety concerns with gynecological procedures) and Anesthesiology (creation of a new process/protocol for same-day total joint replacement patients) yielded positive feedback from the staff and other parties.

Another proud moment for Kim is the work that she has put in with Intravesical Chemotherapy, a source of discomfort to many team members in a unit that sees many specialties. She created a tip sheet, which was approved systemwide and is now in the process of also being approved by the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee to be added to the Medication Administration Record (MAR) when ordered in the procedural areas. The tip sheet will ensure safe nursing care and positive outcomes for our patients receiving this treatment for bladder cancer.

As of this writing, Kim is working on completing her RN PACT Level IV. She is also acting as a PACT reviewer. Over the years, Kim has consistently been awarded RN PACT both at Morristown and here at Overlook.

In conclusion, Kim’s exceptional track record and dedication as an Educator truly exemplify the spirit of the DAISY Educator Award. The body of her work – both academic and professional, her congenial and collaborative relationship with our team members and leader peers, intra and interdepartmentally, and the impact of her innovations made a profound difference in the practice of nurse clinicians not only here at Overlook but to the whole Atlantic Health community. I am grateful for her compassion, expertise, and friendship.