June 2024
Erin
Tomlinson-Brower
,
BSN, RN, CPAN, MSCRN
Postanesthesia Care Unit
University of Michigan Health - West
Wyoming
,
MI
United States
Erin reached across and held my hand because she could sense that was exactly what I needed at that moment.
This Thank You is long overdue, but time has gotten away from me. My journey started in in hospital emergency room where most stories begin. I had increasing pain in my abdomen for several days and my doctor thought I was having issues with constipation. I had tried several medications at home without relief. Finally, I had reached my breaking point and my wife brought me in. I was in pain and was scared about what was going to happen. I was told after some scans a team was coming in to do an emergent procedure to release what I now know is called a volvulus. That is when I first met the night nurse Erin from the surgery team. I know everyone at that hospital is there to help you, but I knew from the start was a special person. The nurse in emergency had said before she even came there, oh Erin is our favorite nurse, she is very nice and always super helpful. Erin showed up, mind you this is late in the evening, with a huge smile and told me not to worry that the team was getting ready and that they were going take the best care of me, and I believed it. She was warm and so helpful answering my questions and putting my worries at ease. She brought me and my wife down to get prepped and told me when they were taking me back that she would see me soon, and my pain would be much better. Just before they me put off to sleep in the endoscopy room, I heard again the staff talking about how lucky I was that Erin was the nurse on tonight, as she goes above and beyond to help the patients and other departments during the night. Now I had heard from two separate departments what a great nurse I had and I already felt it personally. Before I knew it, I was waking up in the recovery room and there was my nurse, smiling at me and asking me how I was feeling. I felt a million times better. Erin invited my wife to come into the room as she could see I was nervous, and when the doctor came in to explain that I was going to need surgery the following morning for part of my bowels that were bad and were likely to retwist, Erin reached across and held my hand because she could sense that was exactly what I needed at that moment. She brought me to my room that night and told me she would see me again. I didn't think she would because why would she have to? She did her job and from the sounds of it, a few other people's jobs that night. But come morning, there she was again to take me for the surgery. My nurse that night on the floor was busy and I wasn't quite ready to leave, but Erin had come early anticipating that my nurse would need help and did all the work to get me ready. Again, I heard the statement confirming what a great person she was from another nurse saying only Erin would come help us out like this. She always puts patient safety first. She stayed with me, answered my questions, wished me the best of luck, and told me that she would not see me when I woke this time, as she would be home, but wanted me to know that it had been her pleasure to be part of my care team. Again I thought I would not see her again. Sometime during the day after my surgery my IV went bad and no one could get a new one in and they said "Well we know an expert." So right at start of the next shift, they called their expert to come and restart a new one for me, and again it was Erin. She started it right away and told me how nice it was to see me again. When do you ever get service like this in a hospital? One nurse over and over helping out other staff, always helpful and friendly and beloved by everyone. Every time I brought her name up I heard "Oh Erin, she is the best or she is the sweetest nurse working here." The nurses told me stories about how hard she has worked to make the hospital a better and safer place for other workers as well as patients. You meet lots of people when you stay in a hospital. I never met anyone as genuine and kind as Erin. She is the best of your hospital staff, a bright spot for each patient and coworker on any day. Thank you Erin for everything.