Congratulations to JOSEPHINE GUGLIELMINO MARCANTONIO MSN’09, who was recognized at the annual Nursing Spectrum Nursing Excellence Awards program on Wednesday, June 2 with the award for mentoring.
In addition to graduating in 2009 with an M.S. in Nursing from Wagner College’s Evelyn L. Spiro School of Nursing, Josephine Marcantonio is a clinical adjunct for our pediatrics course.
Marcantonio was chosen from among five nominees in New York and New Jersey. The nominees, put forward by their peers, were “RNs who provide a positive professional influence, guidance and support of other nurses in any setting. These nurses have cultivated relationships that foster the development of their nurse colleagues.”
Josephine Marcantonio, RN, MSN, CPN, is a clinical nurse specialist at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian in Manhattan. Her nomination for the Nursing Spectrum Nursing Excellence Award for Mentoring read:
An exceptional role model, mentor and motivator, Marcantonio has a keen eye for assessing each staff member’s learning needs. Marcantonio designed a free on-site pediatric certification review course, utilizing the knowledge and skills of fellow RNs to teach the classes. By 2008, three-quarters of the nurses on her unit were certified in pediatrics. A year later, she conducted review classes again and another 10 nurses from across all hospital units became certified.
Marcantonio regularly identifies new graduate nurses who may need extra support. She helps them apply for the hospital’s residency program and writes them recommendations. Thanks to Marcantonio, the unit has at least one or two graduates from that program each year.
Known as the bedrock of bedside expertise, Marcantonio facilitates hands-on, on-the-job learning. She e-mails other nurses on the unit whenever a patient has an unusual diagnosis. Each “sixth tower tale,” which refers to the unit’s name, offers researched information, with guidelines on nursing care, including assessment tips, expected treatments and outcomes, and topics to address with the patient and family. She also shares educational articles as part of a booklet with resources and learning material. In addition, Marcantonio follows up with staff members to raise their awareness and understanding of the condition.
She organizes weekly development sessions to provide information to staff on new techniques, procedures, ethical issues and any new developments that affect practice. Marcantonio initiated monthly mock codes to give staff hands-on experience and expand their decision-making capabilities.