Debbie Thomas
August 2025
Debbie
Thomas
,
LPN
Surgical Services
LewisGale Hospital Pulaski
Pulaski
,
VA
United States
Debbie was instrumental in ensuring that everything was in place to safely care for this patient and facilitate a quick transfer.
I would like to take a moment to recognize this nurse for being an extraordinary professional. We are blessed to have had Debbie as part of our team for over 40 years. Not only does she lead our team in daily prayer for staff, surgeons, and patients, but she also keeps the unit in order. I often tell her that she is the “hub” of the wheel, and we couldn’t do what we do without her.
Let me share with you a couple of recent incidents that demonstrate her phenomenal nursing skills. We recently had a young patient who had started a new job and had a new onset of significant weight loss. This nurse took extra time and worked very hard with different departments and surgeons to get this young man into the facility for the diagnostic test he needed, as his insurance had not yet kicked in.
This is a true testament to Debbie's knowledge of this facility, and she can be counted on to do the right thing, even when no one is looking. She could have easily told the physician’s office and the patient that we would just have to wait until the patient’s insurance became active, instead she thought of this patient as if he was her own family member and she did what she could do to get him in here and taken care.
Another incident that occurred in the department was an unexpected outcome for a patient, requiring them to be flown out of the hospital from our PACU, a procedure that has not been done since I joined this facility nearly 6 years ago. Debbie was instrumental in ensuring that everything was in place to safely care for this patient and facilitate a quick transfer. This was especially difficult because both the surgical unit CNC and the department director were out that day due to unforeseen circumstances.
That is what a DAISY recipient does: they take care of everyone regardless of the situation. It speaks to the type of person Debbie truly is. She is not a fluffy, puffy, huggy type, but I can tell you that she has one of the biggest hearts I have ever seen in anyone. She gives so much that no one ever knows about, and asks for no recognition in return. She is an excellent representative of what a DAISY Honoree would be.
Let me share with you a couple of recent incidents that demonstrate her phenomenal nursing skills. We recently had a young patient who had started a new job and had a new onset of significant weight loss. This nurse took extra time and worked very hard with different departments and surgeons to get this young man into the facility for the diagnostic test he needed, as his insurance had not yet kicked in.
This is a true testament to Debbie's knowledge of this facility, and she can be counted on to do the right thing, even when no one is looking. She could have easily told the physician’s office and the patient that we would just have to wait until the patient’s insurance became active, instead she thought of this patient as if he was her own family member and she did what she could do to get him in here and taken care.
Another incident that occurred in the department was an unexpected outcome for a patient, requiring them to be flown out of the hospital from our PACU, a procedure that has not been done since I joined this facility nearly 6 years ago. Debbie was instrumental in ensuring that everything was in place to safely care for this patient and facilitate a quick transfer. This was especially difficult because both the surgical unit CNC and the department director were out that day due to unforeseen circumstances.
That is what a DAISY recipient does: they take care of everyone regardless of the situation. It speaks to the type of person Debbie truly is. She is not a fluffy, puffy, huggy type, but I can tell you that she has one of the biggest hearts I have ever seen in anyone. She gives so much that no one ever knows about, and asks for no recognition in return. She is an excellent representative of what a DAISY Honoree would be.