Words of Praise

We have outstanding faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Our professors and instructors frequently publish research, address ethical and moral issues in nursing, and bring future nurses to the front lines. They are the reason our students become “Hopkins Nurses.” Recently, the School of Nursing hired several new instructors, one of whom is Nicole Johnson, MSN, RN, ONC. Upon hearing this, MSN student Amanda Mein had nothing but praise for the new full-time instructor. Amanda wrote this email to Drs. Marie Nolan and Kathi White, thanking the School of Nursing for its selection:

“Drs. Nolan and White,

When I accepted the offer to come to Hopkins, I anticipated that this program would challenge me academically and would build perseverance. Of all my clinical instructors, I have been most challenged and learned the most from Nicole Johnson. I know she was recently hired full-time – I just want to say THANK YOU, and commend you for making this decision.

Throughout the summer, Nicole challenged me to be proactive and practice problem solving. She challenged my thought processes and helped me to become a more confident problem solver, as well as feel like a true part of the medical team. Nicole has high expectations of herself as well as of her students: she visited the floor the evening before clinical as well as early the morning of, ensuring that each student had the best learning opportunities available. When I gave medications, Nicole walked me through not only the “rights” but also made sure I felt comfortable talking with patients about the medications. Her relationship with the floor nurses was such that we were encouraged to shadow and assist with patients to whom we were not officially assigned. The staff trusted that she taught us well, and they came to rely on several of us to help when challenges arose.

The highlight of my summer with Nicole was the 12 hour shift we worked. She acknowledged beforehand that this could feel like a long day, however, since this will likely be what many of us do in the near future, she encouraged us to vote in favor of working a full day and experience what happens after 3:30. Yes, I was tired. And yes, I was hungry. But as I shared with Nicole, I finally felt like a nurse and was excited to see the efforts of my morning come to fruition in the evening. As with several other days, I spent a good portion of my morning advocating to get a patient’s orders changed so that the nurse and I could provide him with what he needed. Had we left at 3:30, I never would have seen his orders finally changed so he could receive blood products. I never would have seen his blood transfusion, or seen his mental status and energy improve with blood volume repletion. I wouldn’t have met my patient’s wife when she arrived after work, or been able to explain to her why her husband was so weak. And I would have missed seeing my patient’s only smile of the entire day.

Nicole Johnson exceeded my every expectation of a Hopkins clinical instructor. She never accepted less than my best, and she has always walked beside me and taught me what I needed to learn (we spent 2 ½ hours on the phone problem solving through my concept map – no instructor has ever given me that amount of time). So thank you for hiring her full-time, and I encourage you to utilize her skills as an instructor during her time at Hopkins.

Amanda Mein
(PS – Can I work with Nicole during transitions, please?!)”

Amanda’s email paints a picture of how the School of Nursing student learns – being challenged, learning how to problem solve, and forming connections with not only their patients, but their faculty as well. These words of praise show how Hopkins Nurses are formed and how they carry on the legacy of being an example to the future of nursing.

About the Author: CRAIG LEE

With the world becoming more connected through tweets, posts, shares, and pins, Craig keeps the School of Nursing in the mix with the ever-growing, complex web of Social Media. Craig manages all of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s social media accounts including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, and LinkedIn.