Jenita is the kind of nurse-leader who inspires everyone to do better. In the neuro ICU, where she leads more than 95 health care professionals, she has created an environment that provides both support and accountability through her emphasis on open communication and creative thinking.
As part of Cedars-Sinai’s central line-associated bloodstream infection campaign, Jenita has instituted a total culture change: Instead of coming at the problem of hospital-acquired infections from the top down, she fostered a peer-to-peer system, in which nurses can help each other maintain best practices to prevent these infections. First, she identified and celebrated nurses who were especially adept at this work, and then created a system in which those “champions” were empowered to give feedback to their peers, sharing that expertise. One way to prevent these infections is with Chlorhexidine baths, but sometimes patients refuse them. Jenita developed a script for nurses to use when their patients are reluctant, so everyone is responding in a standardized way, and with confidence and empathy.
The list of her accomplishments is remarkably long: She has made it easier for nurses to identify possible candidates for organ donation by creating a best practice alert within the electronic health record; she promotes self-care and mindfulness for her team; she nurtures interdisciplinary partnerships. Jenita is not content to drive solutions for only her own unit, but proactively shares her knowledge through system-wide demonstrations and educational programs. She also shares her expertise with the wider nursing community, through her work with Philippine Nurses Association of Southern California, where she promotes professional development and cultural pride.