Christa Tomlin

After treating a patient in ATC, Christa was aware of how sick the patient was and called the doctor for further orders. The patient was very angry that he was admitted to the hospital because he had a sick child at home and was anxious to leave. He wanted to sign out AMA. Christa told the patient “If after you see the doctor you convince him you can leave then fine, but you are not leaving on my watch.” As it turned out the patient was septic and in renal failure and spent 10 days in the hospital. When the patient saw Christa again, he said “ I wanted to come down here and cuss you out I was so mad you did not let me leave…but if you had I would be dead. So, thank you for not letting me go.”

Christa is a BLS instructor and has a varied background of experience. She serves on the Research Council and ensures her ATC’s policies are supported by evidence based practice. She is a great resource for ATC.

The things Christa does for the unit are easy to see, but it was the quiet humble words of the patient “thank you for not letting me go” that made me sit down and write this nomination. Above all, Christa has great instincts about her patients and is a true patient advocate. She gives the rest of us a good reputation!