1305 North Martin Avenue

P.O. Box 210203

Tucson, AZ 85721-0203
Tel: (520) 626-6152
Fax: (520) 626-2669
www.nursing.arizona.edu

August 12, 2016

To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this letter of recommendation in support of Samantha Helmss application for a
nurse residency or new graduate position at your institution. I had the pleasure of being
Samanthas clinical instructor for her pediatric nursing course during the Fall 2015 semester.
This included teaching Samantha during the didactic (lecture) portion of the course, along with
as serving as her instructor on the pediatric inpatient units at Banner Childrens Diamond
Childrens Medical Center. During my time with her, Samantha impressed me with her
compassion and her ability to embrace teachable moments with her patients and families. She
asked pertinent questions, and she consistently worked hard to improve on the skills she had
learned in class and in clinical.
While completing her pediatric clinical rotation at Diamond Childrens Medical Center,
Samantha learned to thoroughly assess her pediatric patients, and she maintained flexibility when
clinical situations changed. Samantha utilized critical thinking skills to provide safe and
appropriate care for her young patients, including patients on the general pediatric and the
pediatric hematology/oncology units. While on these units, Samantha began to develop her role
as a patient advocate by working with the interdisciplinary team to ensure the needs of her
patients were being met. Samantha participated in patient medical rounds, as well as the nursing
care coordination meetings, during which the patients current and predicted medical and
discharge needs were discussed. Samantha learned to integrate her patients medical diagnoses
with her own physical assessment findings to develop thorough nursing plans of care. She would
then follow-up on the expected outcomes for her patients and make any necessary adjustments to
their plans of care to ensure the outcomes were met. Samantha took an active role in her
learning, and she willingly accepted feedback in order to improve her clinical performance and
understanding of the theory behind why she was doing what she was doing. It was rewarding to
watch her grow and develop in this area.
I have no reservations about recommending Samantha for a nurse residency or new graduate
position at your institution.
If you have any questions about this letter of recommendation, please do not hesitate to contact
me via email (smcarson@email.arizona.edu) or phone (520-444-2459).
Sincerely,

Sheri Carson, MSN, RN, CPN, CPNP

Clinical Instructor University of Arizona College of Nursing