Brittney was my preceptor when I first arrived at CTCA and I witnessed her above average work ethic and caring first hand. She gives her best to every patient with kindness, regardless of time constraints or assignment difficulty. Knowing Brittney is there working as hard as she does helps me resist the temptation to ever give less than my best to any patient and has improved the quality of my own nursing care. Even after my training was complete, I knew she was always there for me. Brittney is knowledgeable and always ready to help another nurse with questions or with a daunting assignment.
One day I was particularly overwhelmed by my patient load and she noticed. Brittney looked up my provider's schedule and told me which patients of mine she would be taking that day in addition to her own assignment. Her helpful spirit has saved me from more than one overwhelming workday. When Brittney's coworkers are under the weather, she cares for them as well as cares for her patients. This past summer, I injured my ankle and she gave me ibuprofen at the appropriate intervals my entire day at work and offered me ice and a stool so I could elevate my foot while I charted. After work, she asked if I would like her to pick me up and drive me to my car. This is just one example of many acts of kindness and caring she has shown me and many others in our clinic.
Brittney has also introduced me to committees and opportunities that enable nurses to help patients outside of their job description, including organizing bake sales to raise money for assistance in healthcare. The proceeds go to helping patients in need, usually those who need help paying for flights for their caregivers so they do not have to travel and go through treatment alone.
Brittney celebrates everything and everyone. No one has a birthday, gets married, or has a baby without her throwing a small party or potluck or marking the day in some way. Brittney is involved with "The Stakeholder Spotlight" which fosters a sense of community among the clinics and helps us get to know one another, appreciate one another and function more effectively as a team. She recently helped with a project aimed at celebrating patients who finish their last cycle of chemo by giving them a small gift to mark the day and to congratulate them for making it through that difficult time. I was able to present the gift to a patient a few days ago and she was so touched by that small recognition that she cried happy tears.
Brittney is that special Nurse who goes the extra mile to make her coworkers and her patients feel valued.