My husband did the unthinkable and accidentally shot himself in the hand while disassembling his firearm. Due to the distance of where we live in the country, and being a nurse, I knew it would be faster to drive him to the hospital rather than call 911. Having been a nurse at Banner UMC for 12 years, I greatly wanted to take him there, but TMC is our closest hospital...For anyone in this situation you know the distress of having to go somewhere unfamiliar when you have another potential option.

All of my worries were quickly put to ease after joining my husband in the ER bay and meeting his nurse, Claudia. She not only took great care of my husband, answering all of his questions and managing his pain, but she also took care of me and allowed me to be 'that nurse/family member' that we all dread. Durng our time in the ER, I found out Claudia is a new RN and is new to the TMC Emergency Department. Despite being new in her role, Claudia provided care to my husband as though she has been doing this her whole life. She was kind and compassionate and never made my husband feel ashamed for his life-changing mistake. Additionally, she was patient and thorough with the orthopedic surgeon who required her assistance, ensuring that he had everything he needed to give the best possible outcome to my husband. I am so incredibly thankful for Claudia; she brought light to what was otherwise an incredibly bad day.