Julie has inspired us daily during this stressful time; the intense period of transition from a student Registered Nurse to an independent, new grad Registered Nurse. All of us passionately agree that she easily surpasses the qualities expected of Harrison's Registered Nurses. As evidence of this, managers, former Versant residents, and guest lecturers to whom we express our love and admiration for Julie consistently agree that her selflessness, thoughtfulness, and standards of excellence are unparalleled. It is widely recognized that her influence and welcoming spirit has immense value. Her heartfelt guidance, sincerity, and mentorship empower each Versant Resident to be a leader at the bedside, lifelong learner, and professional contributor to the care team overall.
We all can attest to specific ways that Julie has impacted our professional lives thus far, and believe that there are effects we may not even realize until later in our careers. The following residents have provided specific examples of why we feel Julie Gardner embodies the qualities of a nurse deserving recognition through this prestigious award.
Mariam Campbell shares: "Julie Gardener is truly an inspiration in her tireless work ethic, thoughtfulness, and professionalism. Even before my start date as a nursing resident, she was immensely helpful in getting things set-up even while I was undergoing licensing difficulties [after attending nursing school in Canada], reassuring me that there would be a way to resolve any issues that might arise. From the beginning of my residency, she presented herself in such a warm way that I could easily approach her with any questions and challenges I faced. As an individual, she is an impressive source of nursing expertise and knowledge, with a very high standard for quality of care that she constantly strives to pass on to her residents. Moreover, she builds and maintains an astounding number of connections throughout Harrison Medical Center and stretching into the general healthcare community in the surrounding area. Regarding her work ethic, Julie is constantly communicating with people in order to arrange our residency schedules, taking every change in stride and still managing to give us valuable learning experiences around the hospital. Julie is an excellent nurse, well-worthy of this recognition. While she may not be on a unit working with patients directly, thanks to her dedication to the Versant residency program, there are almost 200 nurses at Harrison whose career was first shaped by excellent training and support. The positive impact of this on Harrison, its staff, and its patients is immeasurable."
Chris Casey-Sanvalle shares: "Julie is incredible and has so much enthusiasm. She supports and has great goals for all her Versant residents. She so awesome. Thanks!"
Olivia Thaxton shares: "Julie is an amazing individual on a professional and a personal level. She goes way above and beyond her job duties as the residency coordinator. I will never forget the way that Julie made me feel during the hiring process. She made me feel like everything was perfectly okay. She was welcoming and she even checked on me during my 2600 mile cross country trip. She treated me, a person she had never met, with so much respect and dignity. Julie helped me more than she will ever know. When I finally got settled here in Washington she set up a time for me to meet with her here at the hospital, provided me wonderful advice which has helped me get to my goals. Julie has made me feel cared for and important. The statement of "people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" is so beyond true. Julie Gardner deserves recognition for her compassion and selflessness. Thank you so much, Julie, please don't ever, ever change."
Ruth Owen shares: "Julie is perennially positive. Her energy and enthusiasm for supporting the Versant residents in our transition from student nurses to RN's have made us all feel that we were not alone on the journey. We have had many excellent mentors and teachers during the residency program, but Julie is the one who has been with us all the way, showing us through her example what a professional nurse should be. In so many ways, Julie exemplifies the ethical principle of promoting and enriching the nursing profession."
Jennifer Sayles shares: "I am so honored and humbled to have Julie as my Versant manager.
She has all of the qualities that make a patient remember their nurse warmly, and as a resident, I needed most as I am building the foundation of my nursing career. Her qualities of leadership, commitment to excellence, and professionalism are balanced beautifully with compassion and approachability. Her legacy begins with the experts that she painstakingly handpicks to present to residents on each day. In providing residents with the latest information from expertup-to-date practitioners, Harrison patients are benefiting from the latest, evidenced-based practice provided to them from these new nurses moving forward. Julie helps us connect with our purpose-encouraging us to be leaders at the bedside, to be inquisitive and learn from the mistakes of others and share the ones we may make, so that Harrison patients will be as safe as possible. She empowers us in many ways, including advocating for putting us through a Crucial Conversations class that teaches us how to speak up when it is hardbecause that might change a system that has been broken, or may even save someone's life. She also has given us chances to practice sharing our feedback on the way the Versant program is conducted, including meeting with Harrison's Chief Nursing Officer. We see that if we can speak up in these situations, surely we can speak up on our units when we see patient safety or quality of care at risk. She also has that unique quality of a great leader and nurse in that she commands respect yet is always approachable, warm, genuine and authentic. Expectations are that all nurses are professional, but it takes a special nurse to remain professional and calm when under pressure. Julie demonstrated to us how this is done many times. She once told us "You will always be my residents", and it is my great pleasure to say that she will always be my role model.