NURSING MENTOR NOMINATIONS 2015 Ria Dean, nominated by Mike Szpak Ashley Duffy, nominated by Vicky Rookes Joanne Fenwick, nominated Alistair Barker Mona Lisa Faur, nominated by Olivia Hudson Alison Greenhalgh, nominated by Oliva Obhrai Lucy Hudson, nominated Peter Radley Claire Stewart, nominated by Jacob Conboy Julie Wells, nominated by Gail Cooper Janice Woodward, nominated by Heather Bush WINNER RIA DEAN, NOMINATED BY MIKE SZPAK Ria Dean was my mentor during my first year as a nursing student and her commitment and dedication towards me as nursing student still remain memorable. She was an extremely skilled mentor in renal/gastroenterology who always went out of her way to ensure that as a student, I had the best possible learning experience. During lunchtime or after shifts, she spent countless additional hours explaining different concepts, elaborating on an element of care and supporting my development as a nursing student. The standards she had for patient care were exceptional, with these standards never wavering, regardless of feeling tired, overworked or in the face of adversity. Patient centred care mattered to her a great deal and she never failed to take notice or respond things that others simply over-looked. Ria Dean noticed both the little things as well as the big things that mattered so much to patients. Her qualities of extreme sincerity, kindness and selfawareness in addition to integrity, approachability and great clinical skills make Ria Dean a worthy candidate for this award. Ria Dean isn t just the person who goes that extra mile for her colleagues, patients and students she mentors, but is also the individual that will climb Mount Everest enumerable times, if it ensures that a person is supported or cared for in the best possible manner. She is an inspirational nurse and I consider myself extremely lucky and fortunate, to have had the opportunity to be mentored by her. Ashley Duffy, nominated by Vicky Rookes This Mentor re-inspired me making me realise why I want to be a nurse. She was supportive throughout the placement, always making time for every little question I had, and pointing me in the direction of further support and advice to further my learning. She worked 100% for her patients and truly showed me what good nursing was. She constantly stretched me, advancing my practice, but was also there by my side if I was unsure. She (and the whole team) realised the importance of evidence based nursing and welcomed my contributions here, always learning and looking at better ways of doing things. She encouraged my existing skills, knowledge and experience, and utilised these where there were gaps in the current team. Welcomed me as part of the team encouraging me to give my opinion, make
clinical judgements and build on skills, knowledge and experience I was lacking or not confident in. She gave regular feedback and discussed with me how I can improve, also giving positive feedback which greatly improved my confidence. She had strong relationships with her own team and the MDT, which she utilised to aid my learning and which enabled myself to build strong professional relationships. There was also a strong bond within the team enabling them to support each other both professionally and personally, which I was welcomed in to, and this in turn enabled the team to give compassionate care and support to their patients. I will never forget my time working with this truly inspirational lady, she has re-ignited my passion, and many others surrounding her. Joanne Fenwick nominated by Alistair Barker Joanne is an extremely competent and capable nurse who is very attuned to the needs of the student in the modern environment. She is patient and caring by nature and can convey this as a quality while also being very focused on the learning needs of the student and their overall wellbeing. She is an excellent role model to her colleagues and her example is one which any student would find inspirational. She has a first class clinical level of competence and is able to use this while demonstrating and explaining the line of nursing accountability. This is something which students, I am sure, find reassuring and valuable. I do know that she has sometimes had some difficulties with students, but has always dealt with these in a proper and proportional manner and that any difficulties have been overcome through her hard work. I am totally confident that she would in the final analysis be prepared to fail a student, however much she might sympathise with their personal reasons for lacking a competence she is very clear in her values and her responsibility to the profession. Joanne is able to maintain a professional relationship on a friendly footing, without using or abusing the obvious power imbalance which can infiltrate and obscure a student/mentor relationship. I cannot praise her more than to reflect that I wish I had been able to work with and observe someone with her special skills when I myself trained. Mona Lisa Faur nominated by Olivia Hudson Mona Lisa has provided me with a great placement, providing continuous learning opportunities. As a registered nurse, she has always made time to teach and assist me in assessments or interventions, consistently demonstrating excellent patient care, no matter how busy the ward environment may be. As an individual, Mona is always happy, smiling and provides the ward with an air of fun and laughter, bringing a smile to patients faces no matter how poorly they feel. As a mentor, Mona constantly allows me to take the lead in patient care, providing her assistance when required, encouraging me to be independent and confident with my own nursing decisions. I have struggled during this practice placement with some personal issues and she has also offered her help and support during these difficult times too, being flexible towards working patterns in order to accommodate appointments and childcare issues. All in all, this special nurse has given me the final boost during my final year to pull all my learning together and realise that this truly is the career for me. She has provided me with more opportunities outside of the ward to learn new skills, and develop my existing skills in order to practice confidently as a qualified nurse. A truly special Lady.
Alison Greenhalgh, nominated by Olivia Obhrai Alison enabled me to learn so much throughout my last placement as she gave me so many opportunities to push myself and she was always suggesting more potential learning opportunities that she thought would benefit me and my practice. I felt like I could ask any Alison any questions that I didn t feel like I fully understood and she would always explain in a way that aided me in my practice and never made me feel silly. Throughout the placement and whenever I was doing something new Alison would always talk me through the experience and would guide and encourage me. Afterwards we would reflect on my practice and I always went home having learnt something after working with Alison. Alison is a very strong person and has inspired me to become the best nurse I can be with her positive attitude and by always making sure the patient was her priority which often meant she sacrificed her time to be with patients after work hours. I was made to feel part of the team and I felt I learnt a huge amount from working with someone as lovely, kind and caring as Alison. Lucy Hudson nominated by Peter Radley Firstly, it cannot be disputed that Lucy is a fantastic nurse. The dedication and commitment shown to her patients is unquestionable and her compassion is evidenced in the strength of the relationships she shares with the individual s she supports. Her excellent knowledge and values make her a fantastic role model for any student. What makes Lucy such an exceptional mentor is the experience she has and her empathetic nature. The fact she completed her training at York University, makes her so appreciative of the unique nature of York s Learning Disability Nursing programme. She knows exactly what the student is going through, and is very understanding. She uses her own experiences of the course to maximise learning opportunities and ensure that the student makes the most of the placement. She has great communication skills and is very approachable. She is really easy to talk to, and always offers positive and constructive feedback. She really takes the time to include students in decision making and has a genuine interest their views and opinions. On a personal level, the biggest compliment I pay Lucy is that in all the time I have spent with her, I have never once been made to feel like I was just a student. The confidence she has given me is invaluable, and I am very grateful to have her as a mentor. Claire Stewart, nominated by Jacob Conboy I should begin this statement by saying that I am a student nurse in the third year of my training. During this time I have been lucky enough to have been taught and supervised by some truly excellent mentors. I must say though that Claire Stewart has been quite simply the best Mentor that I have been taught by. I believe that she is the finest mentor in the Leeds and York Partnership trust, even perhaps the country. I appreciate that this is a very bold statement to make. I shall try to explain what has led me to this conclusion. When I first arrived at Stockton Hall Hospital I must say I was a little apprehensive. It is of course a medium secure hospital and I was unsure of exactly what to expect particularly given the risk of violence which is an inherent part of care for this client-group. Claire put me at my ease immediately. She explained to me the risks but in such a sensitive and supportive way and this was very important for me when I first started. One of the first things that I was struck by was Claire s enthusiasm. This enthusiasm is always present and has not waned during the course of my placement. This is a really important point because many mentors do not display this enthusiasm and sometimes students can feel as though they are
a burden. You can tell that Claire really enjoys teaching you and you never have to feel as though you re a burden. She relishes the opportunity to teach me new and interesting aspects of nursing. This again is an important point as I must stress that of all my placements this certainly has been the one where I have been enabled to benefit from the richest and most diverse set of learning opportunities. A large part of this has been facilitated by Claire. She ensures that I am able to maximise my learning opportunities. But she also encourages me to act autonomously and use my initiative too. This combination of careful nurturing, freedom and responsibility have provided me with the perfect climate to grow and develop during the course of my placement. In terms of clinical skills her teaching is impeccable. She has taught me how to administer IM injections and her tuition has led me to the point where I now feel adept in this skill. She has endless reserves of patience and she is extremely encouraging and supportive, especially when I have found something difficult. This is important because often as a student you can feel as though you are doing things very slowly. Whenever I felt like this Claire was always there to re-assure me that I was doing well and she has lots of very helpful tips on almost every clinical skill which she has taught me to do. Another aspect of Claire s skills as a mentor is her skills in clinical supervision. Students generally do not have access to any formal clinical supervision. This in my view is really where mentors show their skills. At times during this placement I had some tough times and found things quite stressful. Claire always picked up on this and she gave me the opportunity to speak in private about what was troubling me at the time. I felt like I could express fully and candidly the nature of my worries and she gave me excellent advice and guidance during these times. Most of all she listened attentively and provided me with the opportunity to share what was going on. I always felt better after discussing things with Claire. The final point that I would like to make is regarding Claire as a role model. I have left this till last as I believe that this is perhaps the most important point of all. Throughout my training I have always looked for inspiration when I see excellent nursing care in practice. I believe that Claire personifies all of the essential qualities which we are taught in university that a nurse must possess. Julie Wells nominated by Gail Cooper Julie has been a mentor for many years and always treated every student well. She is honest and diligent and has looked for the best in each student but also identified and considered their weaknesses, Julie is respectful and has earned the student s respect she is plausible, works to a high standard and sets a good example, she deserves recognition for always giving over and above, even when work demands are very high. Julie has taken on board the many changes that have taken place over the years and embraced them always seeking the positive value of those changes. The student that is placed with Julie is lucky and will, without doubt have a valuable experience.
Janice Woodward nominated by Heather Bush Janice is extremely knowledgeable, motivated and has a vast range of personal experience to draw on. She is genuinely interested in all aspects of her role, relentlessly keeping up to date with all relevant issues, which makes her a positive and credible role model. She is keen to share her experiences and insight, even her mistakes, so that the students are aware that challenges will arise, but can be dealt with. She is approachable, is an excellent listener and has the ability to guide the students through situations with appropriate questioning and discussion, empowering them to make their own decisions with guidance. She has the ability to put a fresh perspective to any situation, and is the person within the Department that other mentors will go to for help in dealing with their student related issues, especially difficult decisions, which she always manages to address. She is excellent at providing objective, timely and honest feedback and has had positive feedback herself from her students on many occasions. She is, as defined by The Oxford Dictionary, truly an ʺexperienced and trusted advisorʺ.