1305 N.

Martin Avenue

1305 N. Martin Avenue

P.O. Box 210203
Tucson, AZ 85721-0203
Tel: (520) 626-6154
Fax: (520) 626-4062
www.nursing.arizona.edu

December 4, 2015
Attn: Human Resources Nurse Recruiter
Re: Ms. Gabriella Avita
Hello,

It is my pleasure to provide a letter of recommendation for my current student, Ms. Gabriella Avita. Gabriella will be
graduating in December 2015 from the University of Arizonas Registered Nursing program with her Bachelors degree in
Nursing. I previously taught/supervised Gabriellas Obstetric clinical course known as Nursing Care of the Childbearing
Family in fall 2014. This clinical rotation of 2 credits gave Gabriella the opportunity to perform in the role of the
professional student nurse in an acute hospital setting for obstetrics, by applying critical thinking and nursing practice to
diverse clients across the life span and in various stages of health. As her clinical faculty, I was impressed by Gabriellas
level of maturity and professionalism in caring for her patients and her interactions with the staff during this rotation.
Additionally during her rotation with me, many staff favorably commented to me concerning Gabriellas stellar clinical
judgement and warmth in caring for her patients and her abilities in providing excellent discharge education to them.
Presently, I am now teaching two of Gabriellas required senior year nursing courses. The theory course known as,
Nursing Leadership and Management in Health Systems, is a 5 credit course that introduces core systems management
and leadership content, including leadership and management roles and their application to a variety of health care
settings. The 2nd course, known as Transition to the Professional Nursing Role is a 6 credit clinical practicum that
provides an opportunity to perform in the role of the professional nurse in an acute hospital setting. Both of these courses
are senior nursing capstone experiences.
In our senior clinical course, nursing practice consists of 180 acute care hours in a hospital setting however Gabriella
exceeded those hours and completed 270 hours in a unique program within the Emergency Department at Banner
University Medical Center (BUMC) in Tucson Arizona. The Emergency Department unit at BUMC is an extremely busy
area, giving Gabriella opportunities to perform in the role of the professional Registered Nurse and to gain valuable
experiences with critical thinking and the application of theory to nursing practice with clients. At the completion of
Gabriella clinical rotation, Gabriella successfully provided safe clinical nursing care to patients with confidence and
compassion. Therefore, without hesitation, I am certain Gabriella Avita will excel in her role as a nurse at your facility.
As you are aware, Gabriella is committed to a career within your facility as a Registered Nurse. I strongly believe Gabriella
is well suited to this service endeavor. Additionally, Gabriella has done extremely well at the University of Arizona, and
was inducted into the Honor Society of Nursing in spring 2015, given her academic strengths and as reflected by her
GPA!
As a nurse, I have personally observed Gabriella excellent clinical initiative, clear communication skills, calm ability in
handling stress, sincere commitment to solid teamwork, exceptional attention to high quality patient care, as well as her
tremendous sense of caring she provides to all of her patients. These personal qualities of Gabriellas, I believe, are key
ingredients leading to exceptional RN clinical practice and patient care.
Without hesitation, I highly recommend Gabriella Avita as one of the top RN applicants you will consider among others. I
am happy to be contacted by phone to speak further about Gabriella Avita, and to answer any additional questions. I can
be reached at 520 626-7025 or via email at moconnel@email.arizona.edu
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this exceptional nurse and leader.
Sincerely Yours,

Mary OConnell, Clinical Instructor and Course Chair, College of Nursing University of Arizona