Tina Wesley

“Caring and compassionate”

“Go-to person when there are questions”

“Best mentor ever”

“True patient advocate”

That’s how Tina Wesley’s colleagues describe this Neuro/Peds/Trauma registered nurse who earned the January 2011 DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

Ask Tina about herself, and she says,

“I’ve always been a strong patient advocate. I like to empower my patients to be their own advocates and their families to speak up. If there’s something they want us to do different, better, more, I encourage them to do that, so we know what they want. We can advocate for them. We are their voice. I’m a voice.”

Kelly Buchholtz, Neurosciences director, nominated Tina for being that voice recently for a patient who was dying. The patient’s family had made a difficult decision to shift from aggressive treatment to comfort measures only. Removing tubes and other medical interventions, Tina took the time to speak with other nurses and resident doctors about comfort measures and following this family’s wishes.

“Tina is one in a million and does all that she can to ensure her patients’ needs are being met,” Kelly wrote in her nomination.

Tina has been a registered nurse for 34 years, a job she describes as “part of my soul.  I’ve loved it every minute, and I still love it."

“Nurses say, ‘When will you retire? When you’re 80?’ I don’t know. I don’t know if I can, because I do love it that much.”