I was working when a code was called in the Emergency Department. I responded to the code because I was on the code team. When I got to the ED, waiting for the ambulance to arrive with a 16-year-old boy who was unresponsive, McKenna was the charge nurse in the ED, and she was assigning roles to the staff. Her communication with others, and ability to be a strong leader during a very tragic situation are very admirable, and it was apparent that she is an extremely gifted nurse. The patient, unfortunately, did not survive, but McKenna so graciously called for everyone involved in the code to stay in the room before dispersing, offering a moment of silence for the patient before calling his family back into the room. I have been involved in many codes over the course of my career, and I can say that this was one of the most well-controlled codes I have ever been a part of, thanks to McKenna's profound leadership, and although the outcome for the patient wasn't what we all wanted to see, I know that the patient was in the best hands.
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McKenna is a kind human, with an open and cooperative nature, who has a passion to do right. She has served in the community as an EMT, spent time as a nurse in the ED, and most recently worked in ASU/PACU. She has ties in the community we serve and demonstrates confidence to tackle new challenges and grow further, currently pursuing her NP.

McKenna has an ability to analyze complex situations and make well-informed decisions that have consistently led to successful outcomes for patients and aided in the teaching of newer nurses. She has responded to codes on the floor to give an extra hand, demonstrating her commitment to patient success. I have watched her evaluate options and make timely decisions that have led to early intervention and successful outcomes for patients suffering SEPSIS, stroke, and STEMI.

McKenna has a great bedside manner. She is compassionate and innovative. She is always willing to teach and knowledge share with patients, family members, and students alike. She makes them all feel welcome in her presence and is a great patient advocate.

I can count on McKenna to help wherever needed. Her home is Newark ASU/PACU, but you may find her on the Clifton campus as well, ASU/PACU or ED. She also provides on-call support to the Newark SANE program. Loving to teach, she will happily take students under her wing. She has a way with working harmoniously with colleagues from diverse backgrounds, jumping in to give a hand even when they don’t ask for it.

McKenna consistently offers support to not only patients, family members, students, and peers. As her leader, I have worked side by side with McKenna and learned from her. I feel she has supported me in the team’s success. There is no doubt that with her strong leadership, effective communication, and unwavering focus on patient outcomes, she will lead the health and healing of patients. McKenna’s efforts make a difference, and that is why I am nominating her for a DAISY Award.
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McKenna came to the perioperative department approximately 1 year ago from the emergency room. Since her arrival, she has worked hard to increase the critical skill set for the nursing team in the PACU. McKenna remains calm in any crisis situation. Today, in the PACU, there was a postoperative patient who was struggling. McKenna was able to assist less experienced nurses in providing the critical care needed to keep the patient safe. She assisted in the transfer of the patient to the ICU. This is not the 1st time McKenna has acted as a resource.
The attending anesthesiologist sought me out to state that "McKenna is a rock star."
I completely agree with this sentiment. McKenna is a rockstar and deserves to be recognized as a DAISY Nurse.
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McKenna is an excellent Clinician. She is always looking to grow her clinical practice and is currently working to obtain her Nurse Practitioner. She currently works in our Surgical Services Department at Newark-Wayne. She helps to precept new hires. She also helps to support the Emergency Rooms in the Eastern Region and has picked up shifts. One particular event comes to mind, where McKenna exemplified the qualities of a DAISY recipient. Recently, when she picked up a shift at CSH, she was assigned as a charge nurse. There was a pediatric code coming in. Some of the team members had never been through a pediatric code and shared this information with McKenna. McKenna quickly took a leadership role and assigned roles to run the code, including having someone stay out in the department while the code was run.  Unfortunately the patient did not make it. The patient's mother was distraught, and the one thing she requested was a Chaplain. Multiple calls were made to internal and community resources for Chaplains. When there was no success in procuring a chaplain, McKenna took it upon herself to have her own Pastor contacted, who did agree to come to provide support, but was a half hour away. McKenna also participated in debriefing after the event and was recognized by multiple staff members and the covering provider for her excellent leadership, clinical expertise, compassion, and willingness to coach others through the event. Thank you, McKenna, for exemplifying our values as a community and for thinking outside the box during a challenging time.