Preceptor and Community Partner Awards

2022 PRECEPTOR AWARD: Becky Erpelding, RN Cheyenne Regional Medical Center ICU • Cheyenne, Wyoming “Becky has become a true role model for me and is the most outstanding nurse and preceptor. She explains everything she is doing with respect and like we are coworkers, she has never been condescending or annoyed that I didn’t know an answer or how to perform a skill. During morning report Becky is making sure we get patients who are high acuity so there are multiple learning opportunities throughout the day. She always asks what assignments seem interesting to me and gets my input. If there is a procedure going on she will Becky Erpelding, take initiative and ask someone if I can watch so I’m getting to see new things every day. Becky is very RN observant and attentive even when I’m taking a more independent role with our patients, she’s always asking what tasks I need help with or if I need to take a break. One example of this was when we had a patient who had switched to comfort care and his daughters and wife were in the room grieving over the patient. The patient was younger and his daughters were around my age and I was having a very hard time being in the room. Becky leaned over and said I could go take a break and then shortly after came to talk with me and check-in. Becky really goes the extra mile as a preceptor and helps me outside of just our 12-hour shifts together. After a very busy day when I took over one of our two patients together, Becky messaged me and complimented my patient care and how great I did working independently that day and how helpful it was to her. This inspired me to want to be even better the next day!! Another example of Becky going the extra mile was when I discussed a goal of mine to be more thorough when I give report and later that night after our shift she messaged me a list of tips to use when giving report. Her taking the time to send me those tips showed me that she really cares about my success as a future nurse. Becky also took the time to write me an amazing letter of recommendation for my application to the nurse residency program. –Abigail Smith, Student & Nominator

2022 PRECEPTOR AWARD: Tina O’Connor, RN Ivinson Memorial Hospital Cancer Center • Laramie, Wyoming “Tina is an incredible preceptor who makes me feel safe and comfortable performing nursing skills. She actively seeks opportunities for me to learn, from watching various nurses perform skills to placing me with nurses in leadership positions. She does online NCLEX questions with me and encourages everyone to expand their knowledge base as opportunities arise. She pushes me out of my comfort zone but I also know I can go to her when I need help. I feel my skill level is already vastly improved and I still have about 6 weeks of clinical left. The last time Tina had a student nurse from the University, COVID impacted the length of that students stay and she has been so excited to see students back in the Cancer Center. To me, this is just one example of how much joy she gets from teaching and for all of these reasons, why I would like to nominate her for this award.”

Tina O’Connor, RN

– Brianna Vasquez, Basic BSN Student & Nominator

COMMUNITY PARTNER AWARD 2022:

Hospice of Laramie Laramie, Wyoming

The recipient of the Community Partner Award for 2021-2022 is Hospice of Laramie. The award was presented on August 24, 2022 in the Arts & Sciences Auditorium on the University of Wyoming Campus at the school’s annual Nightingale Ceremony introducing new junior students to professional nursing. The Mission of Hospice of Laramie is to promote acceptance of the process of dying as a natural, potentially fulfilling part of life, while providing emotional, spiritual, social, and material resources to support the dying, their families, and friends. Hospice of Laramie was founded in 1983 by a group of committed community members.

Dean Sherrill Smith, RN, PhD, CNL, CNE with Elizabeth (Liz) Theobald, RN