I was just a 5-day patient at your St. Thomas West facility. Unfortunately, it was for a recurring staph infection in a post-surgical total hip replacement that was performed back in 2022.

I have been in the healthcare sales industry and have had daily contact with hospitals and large hospital systems for the past 30 years. My daily contact is with professionals like you and your peers as a Strategic Account Executive. I assist health systems like yours to make informed decisions, both financially and clinically, for your Chemistry Laboratory and Blood Bank analyzers.

My point is, despite my daily contact with "healthcare," it's not the reality of healthcare that I touch every day that matters most to a patient. I couldn't have made it through those 5 tough days without the Nursing and Nursing Assistant staff that looked after me on the 7th floor! You have a challenge with staffing, I know you do, as I hear it from every system in the southeast that I work with. I have seen this shortage and need for more nursing for a few years and because of this my daughter, a recent graduate of UTK, is a student at Marian University right there at St. Thomas and has chosen a career path to help close the gap of patient care going forward.

The main reason for my email is that I felt I had to "name-drop" the people that took such great care of me and worked tirelessly to help me get back on my feet and return home. The people that made my stay at St. Thomas West an easier visit need to be called out and recognized.

My first night was last Saturday night, and I was blessed to have Sam and Mary Anne caring for me while I was in considerable pain before the surgeon performed my Incision and drainage the next day. Throughout the next few days, I was cared for by Bayley twice, and if I remember correctly, both overnight. She helped a tired, recovering patient manage a new wound and an annoying IV regimen with sore arms. I then had the good fortune of having Abby pick up when it was shift change and transitioned like she was working with me the whole time. Two others that I had late in my stay were Huda and Kimberly who were there for my discharge. Huda's tape-removing skills squashed so much anxiety in me that I now have told many about the "Huda tape removal approach," and she should trademark that! Kimberly was mainly in charge of my discharge, and she knew I was ready to be home and expedited paperwork, orders, and transport. I'm not sure I've had or seen a more efficient exit. Last and so importantly, Penny was a nurse who brought the experience, skills, personality, and comfort to a 5-day inpatient who needed each of those traits to get me through. She was a gem! Whether she was my assigned nurse on a given day or simply helping/advising another on my behalf, Penny was a superstar. I am sure there are a few others who helped me but whose names I failed to memorize.

I apologize for the long email but to truly give you a reasonable snapshot of what I experienced, I had to give you these necessary details.

Thank you for your leadership and especially for your team of nurses. I am now 3 days into a 6-week regimen of home IV antibiotics to hopefully kill what remains of the staph in my hip. I am forever grateful for the nursing care I received from your St. Thomas West 7B nurses.