Rebecca Sartini, DNP, RNC-NIC
Assistant Director of Nursing, WISL – Inpatient
Please join the Center for Nursing Excellence in congratulating Rebecca Sartini, DNP, RNC-NIC for being selected as the December 2022 UAMS DAISY Nurse Leader Award recipient! This award expresses gratitude for courageous leaders fostering an environment where compassion and courage can thrive.
Rebecca is an Assistant Director of Nursing, in the Women and Infant Service Line for Inpatient and was nominated by a UAMS co-worker. The comments below are taken from her nomination which speak to each characteristic as an outstanding nurse leader.
Creates an environment where attributes of trust, compassion, mutual respect, continued professional development and ethical behavior are modeled and support.
I have had the opportunity to work with Becky Sartini for over 10 years, most closely as an RNIV clinical expert, then a Clinical Specialist, and now as Director peer. She is most deserving of the DAISY Nurse Leader award. When Becky came to the NICU, the leadership was crumbling. We had an interim CSM that was in very poor health and an ACSM that was trying to manage over 100 FTE. We had just recently moved into the new hospital and the staff were distressed. Becky came in, familiarized herself with “UAMS way” and got to work doing what she does best – mentor nurses into leaders. Utilizing the UAMS Clinical Ladder as a guide, Becky began to mentor 3 dayshift senior nurses (>15 years of NICU experience) to go back to school, obtain their BSN and become certified in order to promote them to RNIV Manager role. In the course of a couple of years, Becky built a robust team of * RNIV managers, 4 on each shift, and divided up the NICU into teams, such that all staff members had an RNIV manager that they worked with their primary contact for professional development and evaluation. This proved very effective in managing over 100 RN FTEs. Becky continues to have leadership retreats to develop the team of RNIV mangers and clinical experts to grow the nurses. In the last 3 years, Becky has been utilizing these leadership skills to build a team in E5 and E6. She has been developing Heather Moya into the ACSM for E6. In 2022, E5 and E6, each promoted 3 RNIV new applicants, a testament to how Becky creates an environment of trust, respect, and continued professional development.
Motivates staff with a shared vision and enthusiasm to achieve better outcomes for themselves and for their patients and families.
Becky has been part of many initiatives to create a shared vision for staff to achieve better outcomes for patients and employees. After developing the RNIV manager team in the NICU, they embarked on a project known as “NICU Team Model: which was a descriptive model of how RNs could get engaged in a variety of areas. It included a wheel-spoke graphic, with each spoke representing a different area for engagement, like quality, informatics, patient/family activities., polices, etc. During the annual evaluation period, each RN was to designate and area to their engagement for the year. Becky also shared the UAMS Vision 2029 with her staff and worked to focus these strategic initiatives specific to WISL, so that staff understood how they play a part in the overall mission. Becky is also a key player in the NICU safety Committee, a multidisciplinary committee with the purpose of improving quality and safety of car provided to patients through compassion and collaboration. Becky also frequently encourages staff to continue their professional development through advancing their degree or obtaining their degree or obtaining their national certification.
Promotes and enhances the image of nursing within the organization, the community and the profession including engagement, recognition, and retention.
Becky volunteers for nearly every opportunity to support nurses and represents UAMS in the community. She has been part of the marketing of the UAMS NIC, helping to solicit donations. She volunteers for things like the Monster Bash, a fundraiser for the NICU and UAMS Family Home. She volunteered for both LR marathon events for the UAMS tent to provide support for the runners. She has been an advocate at the state level, visiting the capitol on annual Nurses Day at the Capitol. She has been active in the community to promote premature birth awareness and also pregnancy loss through Love, Lives, a UAMS support group for families who have experienced the loss of a baby.
Thank You, Rebecca Sartini for demonstrating the true values of a DAISY Nurse Leader!