Monette Gomez

Monette Gomez, RN Cardiac Cath Lab UCLA Health System, Los Angeles, California

Monette was nominated by both her fellow nurses and the doctors with whom she works.  Each person attests to the outstanding characteristics that Monette displays as a nurse.  She is not only compassionate and comforting, but safe and skillful as well.

“I have been working with Monette for more than 7 years -- There are countless occasions in the cath lab during emergencies that we will fight together for the life of our patients.  Monette is very professional, hard working, knowledgeable, and very thorough in checking the patients.  She is a pleasure and it is reassuring being on call for cath lab with Monette -- making my work easier -- and making patient care safer.  With patients, she is warm and compassionate.  Patient care, comfort and safety are her priority.  I recommend Monette for the Daisy award with all my heart without and reservation.”

 “I have had the pleasure of working with Monette for 15 years.  She has consistently demonstrated an outstanding fund of clinical knowledge, with superb interpersonal and communication skills.  She has had an enormously beneficial impact on patient outcomes through application of her nursing wisdom, her leadership skills, her technical expertise and her compassionate, caring approach to patient care.  She is loved and respected by the patients and her colleagues.  She is a credit to the nursing profession.”

 “I would like to nominate Monette Gomez, RN, from the Cardiac Cath Lab as a deserving recipient of the DAISY award.  She has shown the clinical skills and compassionate care that exemplifies the kind of nurse that our patients and their families recognize as an outstanding role model.

From the very start of introducing herself to the patient, be it a schedule case or a patient in the middle of a life threatening heart attack, Monette Gomez, through her manner and expertise, lets the patient know he or she is in very capable, caring hands.  With her considerable experience and knowledge base in Cath Lab as an RN, she is an asset to the cardiologist, the staff, and especially the patient, for whom we are all here for.  She also keeps the family informed and looks to any of their needs.  We appreciate her.  She makes our department feel like family.”

“I nominate Monette Gomez of the Cardiac Cath Lab at Santa Monica Hospital.  Monette is a highly skilled RN, and she demonstrates her clinical expertise every day.  She is respected and recognized as an outstanding role model by her coworkers and the MDs working in the cath lab.  Monette goes out of her way to explain to nursing students and the care extender volunteers the cardiac cath lab procedures and types of disease processes studied in the cath lab.  Monette demonstrates compassion towards all the patients and their families having procedures in the cardiac cath lab.  She has a way of making them feel comfortable and safe in her care.  Monette ensures families are kept updated if procedures go longer than expected, which always helps their anxiety level.  When Monette meets a patient the first time she assesses the entire patient and will always check with the MD is she finds something abnormal.  She is always a patient advocate and keeps the MD informed when patients require additional intervention for pain or anxiety. 

Monette is passionate about the care the patients receive in the cath lab and when they leave.  When Monette returns a patient to their room, she stays and ensures the patient knows what to expect next and that the patient is stable.  During an emergency, she remains calm and conducts herself in a very professional manner.  Monette is able to anticipate potential adverse events, and keeps the cardiologist informed.  She is very quick to respond to emergencies and I have actually heard physicians say to her at the end of the case, “You were amazing, I could not believe how fast you were working and getting everything done, you were simply amazing, thank you for your help.”  I know when we are working together that there is nothing what will happen that we can’t handle together and it makes me feel very comfortable to work side by side with her.  Monette always has a smile for everyone and really brightens the day, she is an amazing nurse and I am honored to have the opportunity to work with her every day.  I hope you choose Monette for this award.”

“It gives me immense pleasure to nominate Monette Gomez for the DAISY Award.  The qualification needed to be suitable for the award fit her perfectly.  Ms. Gomez is a highly sought after and exceptionally skilled nurse.  I have had the honor of working with her in caring of cardiac patients undergoing invasive procedures.  On most occasions, when the procedures are routine, Ms. Gomez is fully tuned in to the patients needs.  Her compassion allows her to recognize and discomfort or concerns the patient may be feeling.  However, she is at her best when an unstable patient is undergoing an emergency procedure.  Her knowledge of the patient condition, her awareness of the changing patient status and her anticipation of any unexpected event provides me the greatest comfort in concentrating on the procedure.  She is the first to educate herself on a new skill and is constantly striving for improvement.

      I feel most fortunate that Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center and Orthopedic Hospital is where she chooses to practice.”

"I write to nominate Monette Gomez, R.N., for the Daisy Award for nurses in UCLA Healthcare for 2009. I have worked with Ms. Gomez for the last eleven years in the cath lab at SMH. I have always been impressed with her depth of knowledge of the clinical problems that are encountered in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. Her intelligence and experience enable her to anticipate many problems and to be prepared to deal with them before they happen, or to respond instantly without the need for detailed instruction. Working with her is almost like having an additional cardiologist in the procedure. She is always respectful, but not restrained, in asking questions or making quiet suggestions, not only for measures to enhance the care or comfort of the patient, but also regarding some technical aspects of a procedure. I can recall a number of procedures in which her suggestion was valuable and contributed to their successful completion. In this way she is more a valued colleague than an assistant. In the most difficult procedures I am often grateful to be able to give her general guidelines for the management of the patient so that I can concentrate more fully on the technical aspects of the "operation". But before she is an experienced and skilled cath lab nurse, Ms. Gomez is a very caring and skilled bedside nurse. She greets every patient very directly and informally in a way that puts them at ease and lets them know that she is on their side and an advocate for their wellbeing. Her demeanor helps patients to be less anxious going in to procedures that do present real risks to them. Throughout the procedure she is vigilant in monitoring patients and has a competent and unchallenging way of making helpful suggestions for modifications in their care. She does not hesitate to suggest a measure to alleviate a patient's discomfort or to enhance their medical care. I enjoy working together with her in the care of sick patients in the cath lab. In fact, the sicker the patient, the more I value her competence. An additional dimension of Ms. Gomez' commitment to excellence is her consistent willingness to go out of her way to do whatever will benefit our patients. If she encounters an administrative or logistical obstacle to prompt delivery of care, she addresses the problem and gets whatever support she needs to overcome it so that we can get on with the proper care of the patient. If she detects an IV that is questionable, she asks for time and authorization to replace it with one that will be reliable. If she recognizes a special need for communication to an anxious family she alerts the cardiologist so that he or she can act to allay their fears. Whenever she escorts a patient back to the nursing unit she remains to work with the unit nurses until the patient is stable and all nursing and medical issues are clarified. These are but a few examples of the "total nursing" care. An average day would provide ten such examples. Ms. Gomez's nursing bespeaks a total commitment to the wellbeing of her patients in all aspects of their care. An aspect of our work that none of us enjoys is the arduous documentation that is necessary in the overall care of the patient. Monette goes about these chores in a very matter-of-fact way enlivened by humor that diminishes the unpleasantness and makes the tasks less burdensome. She is a joy to work with, despite, or perhaps because of, her sometimes pointed sense of humor. I nominate Monette Gomez, R.N. as an outstanding candidate for The DAISY Award for 2009."