UpGrace

October 15, 2019

Greetings!

It is with great enthusiasm that I am writing this letter of recommendation for Mary Grace Reyes, BSN, RN, CPN. She is applying for your GIC HIMSS Scholarship Program 2019-2020 to financially assist her tuition fees. Also, this will provide her with the opportunity to network with others in the informatics community. I had the pleasure of working with Ms. Reyes as her former manager in the Pediatrics and Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU).

As you likely know from her application, Ms. Reyes is actively pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing degree. Her specialty track is Nursing Informatics. Ms. Reyes is dedicated and committed to her studies. As a result, she is maintaining a grade point average of 4.0. In addition, she is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Excellent Nurse Clinician

Ms. Reyes is an excellent nurse clinician. She works collaboratively with her colleagues. However, she also displays appropriate confidence and independence as a charge nurse.  She consistently displays excellent critical thinking and writing skills in all areas of her work.

Ms. Reyes has many leadership roles in the pediatric division. Firstly, she functions as a permanent night shift Charge Nurse. Secondly, she precepts new nurses in the unit. Finally, she is the consistent superuser for the electronic medical record (EMR) system (Cerner).

Charge Nurse

During my tenure as her manager, Ms. Reyes ensured smooth operation of the unit as the Charge Nurse. Consequently, she maintained patient safety by utilizing proficient organizational and prioritizing skills. In this leadership role, she mastered conflict resolution and problem-solving competencies. As a result, the working relationship between her and her colleagues was collaborative and supportive.

Preceptor

Ms. Reyes was an effective preceptor for our new hires. She continued to be a mentor to her fellow nurses. For example, she conducted Pediatric-specific presentations for continuing education.

As a consistent superuser for EMR, she gained valuable experiences and knowledge. She excels in peer coaching because she passed those learnings to her colleagues. Furthermore, she also took on other technological supportive roles such as being a member of the Clinical Informatics and Optimization Shared Governance Council (CIOC).

Shared Governance Involvement

Ms. Reyes desired more accountabilities over and beyond her role as a staff nurse. Therefore, aside from the CIOC, she served on other committees such as the High-Reliability Unit Safety Coach and the Pediatric Pain Committee. She was the Pediatric Unit Council chair when the hospital successfully earned the Magnet Status designation. Magnet is a nursing excellence accreditation program. Her work in these committees and collaboration with other teams earned her several of the hospital’s awards programs.

Taking Her Nursing Practice a Step Further

With the evolving healthcare industry, Ms. Reyes is motivated to take on the next steps in her growing nursing career. She always thinks ahead and stays well organized. I have had the pleasure to witness the development of a wonderful associate who has many outstanding qualities.

Ms. Reyes always comes ready to work because of her energetic personality. Next, she jumps in to do whatever it takes to meet our unit’s demands. Despite her many years of service and various past roles, she is a sponge and is still eager to learn anything new. She always reassured me that she completes her work above expectations. She does not back away from any challenges that come from her patient assignments. Nor does she shy away from her additional roles.

She handles complex assignments and coordinates her priorities to meet her commitments and deadlines. Ms. Reyes’ energy is very contagious which all her peers certainly appreciate. She motivates others to work as a team. As a result, they produce excellent outcomes. She consistently displays a passion for her work. She is a caring individual with genuine concern for her patients and her colleagues.

Manager Recommendation

For the reasons stated above, I highly recommend Mary Grace Reyes as a candidate for the award program without hesitation. I know that she exemplifies all the qualities you are looking for in a recipient of your wonderful program. If I can further assist, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Manager of Clinical Operations NICU