Kayla F., BSN, RN - VPH

I became a VUMC Nurse Resident in February 2019 in the Psychiatric/Behavioral Health track. Since becoming a resident, I have had the opportunity to serve as the co-chair for the Professional Practice Board, assist the education team with providing education for incoming nurse residents, serve as a charge nurse on my unit, partner with the residency oversight committee with research opportunities, and serve as a preceptor for nursing students. In the new year, I will be transferring to a new unit at the Psychiatric hospital and preparing for the board certification exam. 

When I was preparing for graduation from nursing school, several recruiters from surrounding hospitals came and spoke with our class providing information about their hospital’s residency program. Vanderbilt was the clear choice for me. A major influence on my decision to choose Vanderbilt is their magnet status and their participation in Shared Governance. Vanderbilt is known for its quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practice.  

The VUMC Nurse Residency Program supported my transition to practice in many aspects. Starting with my onboarding education and workshops which were engaging and seamless to lectures from different services/disciplines and being offered peer support. I was provided with general hospital information as well as job/unit-specific information I would need to perform well and succeed in my job. Additionally, the residency program provided my cohort with endless resources to access information and/or staff if we ever needed additional information. Retrospectively, I can’t imagine building the foundation of my nursing career has not completed the residency program. I had an excellent experience and often recommend VUMC’s program to prospective residents.  

There are multiple reasons why I am proud to be a Vanderbilt Nurse. I would like to start with VUMC’s promise to our patients and families. One of our promises is to include our patient’s as the most important member of our healthcare team, personalizing care to fit our patient’s values and needs, and serving with kindness and respect. I see this lived out consistently with our interdisciplinary teams. Additionally, I am proud to work for an institution with a CREDO and behavior standard of their employees. I often evaluate my decisions and behaviors using the CREDO model. Making those we serve our highest priority, conducting ourselves professionally, having a sense of ownership, etc. Lastly, I am proud that I get to make a difference in my patient’s lives as they are experiencing some of their most difficult and vulnerable moments. Getting to be an active participant in alleviating suffering and creating lasting change in my patient’s lives continues to give me a sense of purpose and fulfillment in the work that I do. 

“Be where your feet are” was a tiny signature that one of my colleagues uses to concluded his emails. To my surprise, this little quote I stumbled upon as I was cleaning out my emails has transformed my life and the way that I practice as a nurse. As a nurse, you will find yourself at times overwhelmingly busy and not knowing how you will complete your daily expected tasks while delivering excellent patient care, but I would like to encourage you to “be where your feet are” when you’re face to face with your patients. We owe our full and intentional selves to show up for our patients daily.