Finding support and opportunity: Jairo's story

When Jairo Ruiz Caram, clinical nurse II on Duke University Hospital's 8 East General Medicine Stepdown Unit, first joined Duke Health in 2020 as a new graduate nurse, he was inspired by his desire to care for people when they need it the most and his interest in anatomy and physiology.  Since being part of the team, Jairo has found immense support and the opportunity he’s needed to bring his ideas to life.

Shortly after graduating from King University in Tennessee and launching his nursing career with us, Jairo worked closely alongside preceptors and his managers to gain confidence and grow his skillset as a new nurse.

“Management was always good to me. I felt supported by them. I felt like if I needed help, or had a question, or just needed something, they could help me,” said Jairo.

While gaining experience as a new nurse, Jairo participated in Duke Health’s Nurse Residency Program, which supports new nurses in their first year of practice and provides the tools necessary to build professional confidence, strengthen critical thinking skills, and network with peers.

Not long after completing the program, Jairo decided to participate in the Nursing Career Ladder, which promotes the development of nurse leaders through professional growth opportunities.

Through this program, Jairo had the opportunity to bring his ideas of improving communication and education between teams to life.

“If something happens on the unit on a certain day, one nurse will hear and learn about it and maybe the other six nurses will hear and learn about it as well, but what about the other 25 nurses that weren’t there? I wanted to do something about that,” said Jairo. “So, I came up with ‘What Would You Do?’ I brought a drop-box and people can drop in things that they need or have questions about.”

Jairo's managers supported him along the way in implementing his idea on the unit.

“I introduced it to our management and they said ‘Go ahead,’” said Jairo. “They gave me the freedom to do it and run with it.”

In addition to support, Jairo also points to programs and resources that have helped uplift him and his career.

“I feel like the resources we have here at Duke is something different that you might not get at other hospitals,” said Jairo.

As he continues advancing his career towards becoming a clinical nurse III, Jairo is excited and knows that Duke Health will have his back every step of the way.

“I just think this is a great place,” said Jairo. “I owe a lot to it.”