Mike is an exceptional nurse. He is smart, kind, calm and always patient focused. He is an exceptional preceptor and role model for all new staff to the department as he continually demonstrates a commitment first to patients and their care. When he is precepting and his preceptees are more and more independent, you can see Mike struggle as he is not with patients as much as he would like to be and is missing his patient care time.
Mike establishes a great rapport with patients through bedside report and through establishing trust. I have had the opportunity to hear him speak with pediatric patients with lacerations, their parents, inebriated and belligerent patients, suicidal patients and geriatric patients. Somehow in his tone, cadence, delivery of words, and actions, he instills trust. He is non-judgmental and consistent and yet is exactly whatever his patient needs at that time. This subtle style and nuances of his communication demonstrate his respect, caring, and compassion for all patients.
He is a fabulous teammate as he treats everyone how he would like to be treated. He describes his personal mission as "taking great care of my patients, taking great care of my teammates so that we can take great care of our patients." Mike is committed to this as a preceptor and mentor. He is always ensuring his teammates are taken care of and communicating clearly to ensure the team continues to grow.
Being patient-centered, respectful, and a great teammate takes courage, dedication, and humility. Mike is incredibly knowledgeable and has a vast amount of experience in multiple different settings as a nurse. He never rests on that. He is always open to learning and trying new things, which is one of the reasons he a phenomenal preceptor. He not only supports new learners but learns alongside them and from them. He is the first to participate in learning opportunities and actively participates in shared leadership to identify, discuss and improve how we care for our patients and our team.
He is a leader as he role models, participates and takes action in ensuring his best and the team's best for the best patient care.
I have had the great honor to work with Mike and to be on the other side of the stretcher, if you will, as he was the nurse for my family member. It was a pleasure to experience him as a nurse and not as a teammate. He was everything I described: calm, focused, caring, great communicator, instills trust, calming and knowledgeable, and efficient. He was phenomenal and outstanding, and I felt very lucky to have him as our nurse.