Empowering through education: A nurse leader's commitment to teamwork and training
Sarah Wellsandt, MSN, RN, an assistant nurse manager in the Burn Treatment Center at our university campus, was recognized with a DAISY Nurse Educator Award for her dedication to building nurses’ skills.
When Sarah Wellsandt, MSN, RN, first set foot in a hospital as a college volunteer, she was set on attending medical school. Her career path took a turn, however, after she witnessed the hands-on care and meaningful connections nurses built with their patients. Watching nursing staff work together as a seamless team sparked a realization: nursing wasn’t just a career; it was her calling.
Now as an assistant nurse manager in our Burn Treatment Center at the university campus, Wellsandt has become a driving force, fostering teamwork and innovation. Whether she’s mentoring nurses, developing resources, or leading training programs, she’s always empowering her team to provide the best care possible. Her long-standing efforts earned her a DAISY Nurse Educator Award earlier this year.
“Caring for the patient takes a whole team,” she says. “You’re never alone as a nurse.”
Empowering nurses through education
Wellsandt’s team philosophy is reflected not only in her leadership style but also in the resources she’s developed to streamline care in the Burn Treatment center.
She enhances nurse training through real-time instruction during rounds and by developing practical tools like orientation manuals, instructional guides, and pocket cards. She co-hosts a "boot camp" day featuring hands-on wound care simulations to provide intensive, real-life practice for nurses. Additionally, she has created care carts stocked with essential tools to streamline treatment and ensure nurses can act swiftly when patients arrive at the unit.
For Wellsandt, every effort is aimed to ensure nurses have the resources and confidence to focus entirely on their patients. One of her key goals is to ensure staff feel comfortable with the latest technologies and treatments, such as advancements in wound care and new grafting techniques. This requires her to stay one step ahead of the latest developments in care as well as audit older procedures and treatments to ensure everyone is in compliance with the latest innovations.
“I enjoy diving in and learning about new topics, then finding fresh ways to present that information to our staff in a way that is clear but also memorable,” says Wellsandt.
Though Wellsandt’s role as assistant nurse manager keeps her focused on supporting and mentoring her team, she also remains connected to patients through rounding and lending a hand when needed.
“I see it in the staff that they really have so much compassion and empathy for their patients, and they truly care about what they do,” she notes. “That’s what I hope that I can instill in them and model for them.”
