I was admitted to L&D very suddenly and unexpectedly at 27 weeks pregnant and told I would be there until my baby was born, which would likely be soon. I lasted 6 days with pre-eclampsia before my emergency C-section. Bobbie was the nurse who admitted me, who talked me through what was happening when I was in shock and terrified, and she was so very comforting. I remember how she was so cheerful and optimistic without invalidating or ignoring the pain and trauma I was experiencing. Those 6 days were incredibly painful and difficult, and I truly cherished it when I got to have Bobbie as my nurse. Even when she wasn’t assigned to me, she made it a point to at least check in and say hi, and it meant so much to know she saw me and cared for me. She was my first and last nurse in L&D because she also walked me down to the NICU to meet my son for the first time, and I’m so thankful she was there with me for such a pivotal and life-changing moment. I will never forget how well she cared for me, and I will always be thankful that she was working that day when I went to a routine appointment, never expecting to end up in the hospital.
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This manager is on call 24/7 for us. Listens to all our complaints, problems, compliments, ideas, and even personal issues. She consistently checks in on each and every one of the nurses, scrub techs, and unit clerks, making sure we are healthy mentally and feel comfortable in our roles. When we have issues, she will come in early, late, or during her off time to listen, solve problems, and give advice. We had a stressful shift just due to an increase in patients and patients’ acuity in a short period of time, needing immediate interventions. A lot of us finished our shift crying. Bobbie came in and took us all to the side to debrief and process our emotions. Taking time to allow us to vent and talk out our feelings. She is one of the main reasons I accepted this job at this location and why I will never be leaving MCL.
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Bobbie has been such an asset to Labor & Delivery by being an inspirational leader. She finds so much joy in supporting our nurses and our unit because she believes from the bottom of her heart that we are the best. Her leadership is a great role model for everyone on our unit.