Sarah
Mauldin
December 2024
Sarah
Mauldin
,
RN
Penn State Health - Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Hershey
,
PA
United States
Her compassion, expertise, and tireless efforts to support her colleagues and improve patient care are truly extraordinary.
There isn't a day that we don't involve Sarah Mauldin in the conversations and plans for our staff. She is a part of everything we do, including playing a significant role in helping the 4th floor recover from a 67% vacancy.
When nursing core staff were in short supply, Sarah was onboarding and educating travelers, 32 of them. In early 2024, core staff started coming to us, including a few international nurses. Onboarding all three nurse populations required special considerations, classes, and coaching skills. Sarah was involved every step of the way and ensured we had the tools we needed.
She was instrumental in teaching all of us the T-SAM, as we would eventually be “all hands on deck” during the onboarding of new staff. By the summer of 2024, we were in full recruitment swing and had 15 nurses orienting at one time on the 4th floor alone. I remember Sarah saying that she had roughly 18 check-in meetings in one week between her two units. Somehow, she kept it all together and didn’t miss a beat. She is exceptionally efficient and organized.
Sarah shows her commitment by voluntarily coming to work at 0530 each day so she can round on both of her units to see the night shift staff and assess their educational needs. She then checks on the day shift staff at 0700 and makes sure the day gets started appropriately.
If there are concerns from staff or leadership, Sarah will make time in her day to evaluate and help solve the issue. Several times, we needed a development plan with a few of our nurses. She sat with the nurse manager to discuss interventions and write the plan. She is great at delineating between behavioral and educational needs.
Sarah also helped develop a plan to ensure the success of our international nurses, including weekly meetings and using a check sheet to evaluate areas of competency and weakness. She has developed many staff relationships by actively listening and giving non-judgmental feedback during her check-in meetings. She always shows empathy and compassion when offering helpful interventions.
If a newer nurse is struggling, Sarah already knows before the meeting because she has already talked to the preceptor. She comes to the meeting with an idea for a plan, ready to run it by leadership. Sarah maintains a nice balance of personal and professional conversation with staff. She has two young children and can relate to many of our younger staff, yet she is mature enough to converse easily with the more seasoned members.
Not only does she share in staff onboarding, but staff also see her participating and teaching in other venues such as Nursing Grand Rounds, Addiction Medicine Update Days, mock codes on the unit, competency fairs, Graduate Nurse Residency groups, and new employee orientation days.
Fitting everything she does on one page is impossible, but we hope this conveys how the leadership team on the 4th floor could not have effectively managed to onboard the 30+ core nurses during 2024 without Sarah. She helped take us from vacancy to victory!
***
Sarah exemplifies the qualities of an extraordinary nurse educator through her unwavering commitment to improving practice and advancing patient care. Her dedication to nurturing the next generation of nurses and fostering professional growth has made an indelible impact on our organization.
Sarah’s empathy and compassion create a safe and supportive learning environment where new staff, including graduate nurses, experienced nurses, and international nurses, feel valued and empowered. Her ability to deeply connect with others fosters trust and inspires confidence in those she mentors. Whether guiding a new graduate through their first steps in patient care or helping an international nurse adjust to a new healthcare system, Sarah consistently demonstrates a patient-centered focus that aligns seamlessly with our RITE values of Respect, Integrity, Teamwork, and Excellence.
Her exceptional communication skills further amplify her impact. By actively listening and articulating ideas with clarity, Sarah ensures her learners feel heard and understood. She provides constructive feedback that is both empowering and instructive, setting clear learning outcomes and supporting staff in achieving them.
As a role model and mentor, Sarah leads by example, demonstrating professionalism, adaptability, and a love of learning that inspires others. Her flexibility and ability to modify teaching methods to meet the diverse needs of her learners reflect her inclusive approach to education. She is committed to lifelong learning and actively models this commitment, instilling a passion for professional growth in everyone she teaches.
Sarah has gone above and beyond in onboarding numerous new staff members — including graduate nurses, experienced hires, and international nurses — ensuring they are well-prepared and confident in their roles. Her dedication to fostering collaborative working relationships has created a culture of teamwork and mutual respect within our nursing team.
Her compassion, expertise, and tireless efforts to support her colleagues and improve patient care are truly extraordinary. It is an honor to have her as part of our team.
When nursing core staff were in short supply, Sarah was onboarding and educating travelers, 32 of them. In early 2024, core staff started coming to us, including a few international nurses. Onboarding all three nurse populations required special considerations, classes, and coaching skills. Sarah was involved every step of the way and ensured we had the tools we needed.
She was instrumental in teaching all of us the T-SAM, as we would eventually be “all hands on deck” during the onboarding of new staff. By the summer of 2024, we were in full recruitment swing and had 15 nurses orienting at one time on the 4th floor alone. I remember Sarah saying that she had roughly 18 check-in meetings in one week between her two units. Somehow, she kept it all together and didn’t miss a beat. She is exceptionally efficient and organized.
Sarah shows her commitment by voluntarily coming to work at 0530 each day so she can round on both of her units to see the night shift staff and assess their educational needs. She then checks on the day shift staff at 0700 and makes sure the day gets started appropriately.
If there are concerns from staff or leadership, Sarah will make time in her day to evaluate and help solve the issue. Several times, we needed a development plan with a few of our nurses. She sat with the nurse manager to discuss interventions and write the plan. She is great at delineating between behavioral and educational needs.
Sarah also helped develop a plan to ensure the success of our international nurses, including weekly meetings and using a check sheet to evaluate areas of competency and weakness. She has developed many staff relationships by actively listening and giving non-judgmental feedback during her check-in meetings. She always shows empathy and compassion when offering helpful interventions.
If a newer nurse is struggling, Sarah already knows before the meeting because she has already talked to the preceptor. She comes to the meeting with an idea for a plan, ready to run it by leadership. Sarah maintains a nice balance of personal and professional conversation with staff. She has two young children and can relate to many of our younger staff, yet she is mature enough to converse easily with the more seasoned members.
Not only does she share in staff onboarding, but staff also see her participating and teaching in other venues such as Nursing Grand Rounds, Addiction Medicine Update Days, mock codes on the unit, competency fairs, Graduate Nurse Residency groups, and new employee orientation days.
Fitting everything she does on one page is impossible, but we hope this conveys how the leadership team on the 4th floor could not have effectively managed to onboard the 30+ core nurses during 2024 without Sarah. She helped take us from vacancy to victory!
***
Sarah exemplifies the qualities of an extraordinary nurse educator through her unwavering commitment to improving practice and advancing patient care. Her dedication to nurturing the next generation of nurses and fostering professional growth has made an indelible impact on our organization.
Sarah’s empathy and compassion create a safe and supportive learning environment where new staff, including graduate nurses, experienced nurses, and international nurses, feel valued and empowered. Her ability to deeply connect with others fosters trust and inspires confidence in those she mentors. Whether guiding a new graduate through their first steps in patient care or helping an international nurse adjust to a new healthcare system, Sarah consistently demonstrates a patient-centered focus that aligns seamlessly with our RITE values of Respect, Integrity, Teamwork, and Excellence.
Her exceptional communication skills further amplify her impact. By actively listening and articulating ideas with clarity, Sarah ensures her learners feel heard and understood. She provides constructive feedback that is both empowering and instructive, setting clear learning outcomes and supporting staff in achieving them.
As a role model and mentor, Sarah leads by example, demonstrating professionalism, adaptability, and a love of learning that inspires others. Her flexibility and ability to modify teaching methods to meet the diverse needs of her learners reflect her inclusive approach to education. She is committed to lifelong learning and actively models this commitment, instilling a passion for professional growth in everyone she teaches.
Sarah has gone above and beyond in onboarding numerous new staff members — including graduate nurses, experienced hires, and international nurses — ensuring they are well-prepared and confident in their roles. Her dedication to fostering collaborative working relationships has created a culture of teamwork and mutual respect within our nursing team.
Her compassion, expertise, and tireless efforts to support her colleagues and improve patient care are truly extraordinary. It is an honor to have her as part of our team.