Congratulations to the latest DAISY Award Winner, Russini Floresca, RN, Nursing Education. Russini was nominated by two grateful colleagues.
“Russini, our nurse educator, has gone above and beyond to motivate and push us to become the best version of ourselves. She planted a seed about certifications and how we can continue to feed ourselves with knowledge. She has been very patient with us, explaining what it means to be certified and how it can help us as a nurse. She has developed a system amongst nurses who were serious about being certified and helped us create a study group. Because of COVID-19, we would met every week via video conference and record the session for those who could not make it due to work. We picked a topic and a speaker each week. She has also provided us with practice problems, as well as her knowledge to help us succeed. There are many of us who passed our certifications or are on our journey to get certified. I can confidently say that if it was not for our nurse educator, Russini Floresca, that would not have been possible!” – Christine
“When I first started at SBMC, I was unsure of what kind of nurse I would be. As a new graduate, working in a large hospital such as SBMC, I had a lot of anxiety about whether or not I would be able to provide the care that SBMC stands for (CCHESS). Fortunately, this anxiety was eased when I met Russini during orientation. Specifically, I remember sitting in her arrhythmia class panicking since telemetry was never a strong suit for me. But, with her kind and caring nature, I was able to break down the different rhythms and eventually master them.
During my first few months at SBMC, Russini made it her priority to continuously follow my progress and encourage me to achieve more. She pushed me to accomplish both my professional goals, and my personal goals. Whether that was messaging me after a tough shift to help me deconstruct the day, or checking up with me on the weekends to make sure I was prepared for the following week. She assigned me the preceptors that I worked the best with, and who she knew would get along with my personality.
After 7 months at SBMC, I reached out to her to ask if she would be my mentor. I chose Russini because of all of the above, and because I knew she would be the best fit for me. With Russini as my mentor, I have met numerous goals. I am PCCN certified as a new grad, ACLS certified and charge trained and I’ve become a preceptor for 3 orientees. I do not feel as though this would have been possible without having her as my mentor to continuously push and drive me to accomplish my goals.
The reason I am nominating Russini for a Daisy Award is because of her continuous dedication to developing policies and education materials for 2300. I believe that Russini exemplifies the mission statement of SBMC. Although not a bedside nurse, she provides compassionate care through her teachings as mentor and as an educator.” – Alexander Nguyen, RN
To nominate an extraordinary nurse who exemplifies empathy, compassion, care, honesty and teamwork, visit www.daisynomination.org/SBMC