Alyssa Jennings is a paragon of nursing excellence and a great person to work with. She goes the extra mile to make sure her patients get the interventions that they need, goes out of her way to contribute to unit cohesion among team members and is the kind of person that you would want around during a really scary code situation. She also had a heart for community service and is an exemplar in mobilizing people to make a difference in the community.
This year during October Alyssa organized a team for the Alzheimer's Walk made up of a number of people from our unit. The event was a great unifying force at a time when we were going through a very high turnover, and our team managed to raise $990.00 for Alzheimer's research! Alyssa has also taken the lead with a monthly Unit Council that she runs, during which time we are able to present ideas that for making the unit better, and has organized two potlucks that have significantly boosted team morale during a couple of weekends that were significantly challenging.
Alyssa has been a steadfast advocate for patient safety and was a big part of the push for my unit to get a Doppler several months ago. This Doppler has helped us to be better prepared for critical situations, and be more proactive about keeping our patients safe.
Alyssa puts patients at ease and has been a champion for improving patient satisfaction. She is a great resource for new nurses, and our unit would not be the same without her. Whenever people start talking about the next wave of new hires, I often chime in, saying, "You know, what we really need are more people like Alyssa."