Anthony "Pup" Thomas MSW, BSN, RN is the Nurse Manager at the Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center at Children's National Hospital for the last seven years. He has been at Children's National for 22 years and came to us by way of the United States Air Force. Before accepting the manager position, he worked as a staff nurse in the Hem/Onc clinic and the emergency department. 

Here I will share just one of many examples where Pup role models extraordinary behavior, promotes the image of nursing within the organization, the community, and the profession, and creates an environment of trust, compassion, and mutual respect, which motivates others each, and every day. 

On a recent night shift when the ED at the Sheikh Zayed campus charge nurse called Pup to escalate patient volume, acuity, and ED boarding concerns, Pup came back into work at 3am and accepted the pivot nurse assignment from the charge nurse (servant leader). This is not uncommon for Pup and his ED at Southern Avenue nurse manager partner during these unprecedented times. 

On this particular night, Pup pivoted/triaged an adolescent who had been in a motor vehicle accident and was in experiencing pain. During this brief interaction between nurse Pup, the adolescent, and the adolescent's grandmother, Pup not only provided triage/assessment and initial care, but he also engaged in conversation which was familiar to the grandmother. The grandmother learned that Pup has been a nurse here at Children's for 22 years, was also the nurse manager for the Emergency Department, and spent a good portion of his nursing career in the Heme/Onc Clinic. She connected that her grandson, who is now in Pup's care, was the son of her daughter-who Nurse Pup cared for many years ago. Sadly, her daughter died when (the adolescent patient) was just a toddler. In her exhausted state, in the middle of the night, with extremely long wait times to be seen in the Emergency Department, this grandmother became filled with joy as Pup remembered her daughter and talked with them both about things like how her daughter dressed impeccably, wore her hair just so, and brought a can-do spirit to each of her appointments when she was a young girl receiving treatment in the Heme/Onc Clinic. Nurse Pup talked with the adolescent about his plans to study to become an EMT and more. Pup encouraged the patient to stay on course, not lose focus, listen to his grandmother, and call him when he is ready to apply for a job in the Children's ED as an ED Tech Specialist. The patient was uplifted as he heard stories/memories about his mother and was energized about his future with Pup's encouragement. Pup Thomas role models excellence, always; he motivates and inspires ALL!