Clinical Skills:
Mollie Beleiciks has been a nurse for several years and has worked in Float Pool and on General Medical. She now works in the OR. When she worked on the floor, she often served as a charge nurse because she was a valuable resource with extensive knowledge of the floor. Mollie decided to expand her nursing expertise by specializing in OR nursing and was hired as a circulator in the operating room about two years ago. Not only does Mollie circulate in the OR, but she also volunteered to learn how to scrub, a skill completely different from circulating. She did this to increase her knowledge of the OR, hopefully making her a better circulating nurse. Additionally, she recently volunteered to learn how to be a charge nurse in the OR. Mollie clearly has a thirst for knowledge and loves to learn.
Compassionate Care:
Mollie takes amazing care of her patients. She always uses the knowledge she gained as a floor nurse to think critically, whether it’s reviewing a patient’s labs to ensure they are safe to return to surgery or thinking outside the box when positioning a patient. Mollie practices safely and is not afraid to ask questions or speak up, which can sometimes be intimidating or scary in the OR. Not only does Mollie take fantastic care of her patients, but she is also always checking in on her peers. She willingly volunteers to cover breaks and frequently goes to OR rooms she is not assigned to, helping her teammates succeed and ensuring the OR cases run on time.
When I was an OR intern, I quickly realized that Mollie was a great resource. She showed empathy and support when I felt discouraged and self-doubted, and she continued to encourage me. Mollie also helped me normalize my feelings of self-doubt by sharing her past experiences and difficulties, which gave me the confidence I needed to continue in the internship program.
As an OR charge nurse in training, Mollie often visits OR rooms to check in with staff, ensuring they have the support they need and determining if any additional help is required. On a very busy Saturday shift with minimal staff, Mollie was the charge nurse but still juggled her duties while supporting the OR rooms. She counted softs, sharps, and instruments when an extra nurse was needed and offered to cover breaks if I was unable to do so. This helped relieve my stress about covering multiple breaks and ensured the ORs ran in a timely manner.
Exemplary Service:
Mollie has worked for Salem Health for about eight years. Throughout the years, she has improved her clinical and critical thinking skills as a nurse. Mollie displays amazing leadership qualities. For example, during a code blue in the OR, Mollie, who was learning to be the OR charge nurse that day, quickly sprang into action and was one of the first people in the room to assist with the code. Mollie was flexible in this situation and volunteered to be the recorder, even though she had never done that before in a code. She did everything she could to assist her coworkers through a stressful time and supported them to help improve the patient’s outcome.
Mollie also volunteered to be on the OR/Prep Recovery handoff team, helping to create a standard work protocol for the nurses in the OR and Prep/Recovery. This standard work created a safer transfer of patient care between nurses and clarified the patient’s readiness to go to the OR, which also improved efficiency in the OR.
Continued Commitment:
One thing I admire most about Mollie is her passion for teaching and coaching. Not only is she a super supportive coworker, but she also loves her community. Mollie has frequently volunteered to coach middle school girls' volleyball for the Boys and Girls Club. She coaches for the entire season, often working her nursing shift and then heading to practice to coach the girls. Games are played on Saturdays, so Mollie also sacrifices her day off to coach. Her commitment to the community is evident in this regard. She understands the importance of how sports can make youth feel involved and part of a team, and that exercise is vital to good health.
If coaching weren’t enough, Mollie also volunteers to run the snack bar at her daughter’s baseball games. It’s clear that Mollie is always willing to offer help when needed, whether in the community or at work. I’m so lucky to have Mollie as a coworker.