Sam Fernandez knows exactly how important the preceptor and preceptee relationship can be. We had our first ever new grad RN on- board in Hemodialysis summer of 2023. This was a 9-month process where Sam and his preceptee worked shoulder to shoulder, taking care of Dialysis patients. Sam taught her everything he knew about dialysis, kidney disease, and different body processes. He helped her grow her critical thinking skills, confidence, and assessment skills. He taught her the importance of patient-centered care and how to treat each patient as an individual. He showed her the importance of teamwork and communication, including closed-loop communication, peer-to-peer coaching, and stopping the line when needed. Sam taught her how to be an owner of the situation and to try to find solutions to barriers that arise during their time in dialysis. I share this information because learning how to be a dialysis nurse also means you have to feel confident and competent enough to take calls for Hemodialysis. This means you are the only hemodialysis nurse in the hospital after hours. This training is specialized and very intense. She called the nursing supervisor and nephrologist to clarify the orders and get an explanation of these specialized orders. Because of the nurturing relationship Sam cultivated with his preceptee, she felt comfortable enough to call Sam when she needed support and guidance late into the evening. When she called Sam, she could tell he was at his part-time job taking care of other dialysis patients. He talked her through all of her questions and provided guidance in real-time. After 30 minutes, much to her surprise, Sam entered the patient's room to provide his preceptee with hands-on assistance and support. Sam went above and beyond for her and this dialysis patient to make sure their specialized treatment was completed.


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Sam did an incredible job onboarding his preceptee and it was a huge undertaking because he was pioneering something we’d never done before here at PAR. Getting preceptors to commit to a 6-week of onboarding can sometimes be challenging, but Sam did more than that; he committed to onboarding her for 9 months! He poured into her every day of those 9 months and really looked out for her and was fully invested in her growth. They built a really special bond and there was a tremendous level of trust formed between the two of them as well. Sam is definitely a stand-out and is a wonderful representation of all that a Daisy nurse embodies.