This nurse exemplifies integrity, honesty and accountability in many ways.  He takes responsibility for the Ophthalmology Service in the OR.  This is a very busy service, and requires the nurse to handle multiple responsibilities to ensure that the appropriate implants, equipment, instruments, etc., are available as needed.  This ensures that the patients will be provided with the best possible care, and that the doctors and staff will have what they need.  At this facility, there can be more than a hundred ophthalmology cases in a week.  This nurse ensures that each and every case has what is needed.  He takes this responsibility very seriously and works as long as necessary to make it happen.  His integrity and dedication to the patients, doctors and his colleagues is remarkable.  He works well with all of his vendor reps to make sure that the patients and surgeons have what they need for each case.  He has traveled to many facilities to obtain special order lenses that would not come in time, to make sure the patient has the correct lens that was ordered.

In addition to his many years of experience on a variety of units, he has made many advancements in his professional practice.  He has advanced on the Clinical ladder to become a CNIII, and maintained the responsibilities related to this role for many years.  He is an active participant and member of the Magnet Committee.  As a member of the committee, he is responsible for Magnet posters on his unit.  He has his RN-BC.  He is the Service Lead of ophthalmology.  He has his BSN, as well.  He has worked many years on the Magnet Committee representing Davis Ambulatory Surgical Center (DASC).

This nurse consistently uses evidence-based practice to keep the Ophthalmology Surgery Service in line with current best practices.  This includes training and in-servicing other staff members on changes in practice.  He is involved in reviewing and editing policies for the unit.  He has played an active role in practice improvement initiatives, including education and training to staff.  When issues arrive, he collaborates with team members and leadership to identify solutions and improvements.

This nurse collaborates with a variety of interprofessional colleagues to ensure optimal patient care.  This includes working with Physicians and their staff to ensure correct implants, instruments, etc., are available for each surgical case.  This can be a difficult and time-consuming task.  He is the “hard stop” for checking and double-checking orders for implants ahead of time, without which, the patients could not have their surgery.  This nurse also collaborates with his colleagues, including fellow nurses, Surgical Attendants, Surgical Technicians, Sterile Processing Technicians and leadership across several units within the facility.  He communicates information, provides teaching, and lends his expertise and  knowledge willingly.  His ability to work with a variety of professionals in a collaborative and positive way is noted by many.  All of these factors contribute to an environment of safe and excellent patient care.  An example of his collaboration:  working with the Duke Ambulatory Surgery Center Arringdon to help them get their Ophthalmology Service off the ground.  He has worked with them to get the proper equipment and supplies needed to provide the best service to our patients.

This nurse demonstrates the elements of Swanson’s theory in his practice in a number of ways.  His engagement in his professional practice is obvious to all that work with him, and his purpose is truly to provide optimal patient care to every patient that he can affect.  He tasks himself with continued learning and improvement of his practice.  He is present when working in the surgery rooms, as well as preparing for future cases.  He communicates information so that others may have the knowledge needed to provide optimal patient care as well.

This nurse should be selected because of his consistent dedication, engagement and ownership of his professional practice, which is motivated by his desire to provide each patient with excellent care.