Each day this RN is making a positive difference in the care of our urology patients. My greatest compliment is when patients call and ask to speak with her instead of speaking with me. She has a saintly level of patience. She is kind and gracious and has the greatest empathy I have ever witnessed. She is also who you want around in an emergency. I can't offer one story because her care is a story of many. All I need to do is reflect on last week's office days to come up with anecdotes that highlight all the ways this RN is so special and so deserving of recognition. 

Last week, we had a patient drop their blood pressure (60s/40s) in the office after a biopsy. Her training as an EMT helped tremendously in keeping things calm and prioritizing appropriate care and resuscitation of the patient. 

The same week, I saw a patient with a severe spinal cord and brain injury who is nonverbal and trach-dependent. His father has enlisted others for help but is his primary caretaker and perpetual advocate. He was seen in follow-up for issues with urinary tract infections, which can be very morbid in this patient population. I proposed antibiotic irrigations into the patient's catheter after he gets his evening clean intermittent catheterization. The patient's father was apprehensive about this. I brought my nurse into the room for the discussion. She volunteered to show him just how easy it would be to perform to assuage his fears. They stayed in the room and practiced. She found a pharmacy that could provide the medication formulation they would need. By the end of the visit, the patient's father felt hopeful about the new treatment and confident in his ability to help his son even more. 

Finally, I'll share about another patient from last week who we see for chronic bladder pain. She has been doing very well until recently and had a setback in her pain. Over the course of the last 1-2 weeks, she and my RN have exchanged phone calls almost daily to update us on how she is feeling and see if there are other ways we could help. Last week, she came in for an office treatment. She asked me if she could first see the nurse to talk to her. She shared with us that she had been concerned about the pain distracting her from her studies and was worried about her performance on her exams. She showed my RN that she had gotten a 96% on her exam. Our patient was so proud, and it's because of all the care that Nurse Bobbi provides. My patient knew how happy this would make Bobbi. She thanked her with a hug at the end of the visit, as she always does. 

Again, all is to say that this nurse goes above and beyond. She is a joy to work with and brings such compassion and levity to every day.