New employees come into our organization every month. We welcome them to our Baptist family and nurture them through the orientation process. We expect that everything will be a smooth transition, but sometimes when things go wrong it can be devastating to the people involved. Laura Carey, Clinician for the Flex Pool had been instrumental in on boarding six travelers that arrived on May 20.

One particular traveler was commuting from Orlando and did not have a place to stay. Laura, knowledgeable about the area, gave him names of hotels and steered him toward the bulletin board near the cafeteria to help him find a place where he could call home while here in Miami. The second day of orientation, he received a call that his grandmother had died. Laura brought him to my office where we spoke with him. Laura was very caring and compassionate as she comforted him about his loss. He spoke of his family, told us about his seven children and then insisted that he return to orientation. Laura informed the nurse educators of his sad news and continued to check on him throughout the morning. By afternoon, Laura and the traveler returned to my office with more bad news. He was visibly upset. His wife had been admitted to the hospital in Orlando. Who was going to care for his children? He was so far away. He needed to work. He told us that he was having a panic attack with chest pain and that it happens to him frequently. Laura listened and tried to convince him to go to the Emergency Department, but he refused and insisted on returning to nursing orientation. Laura continued to check on him frequently throughout the day to make sure he was doing OK. She made sure that he had phone numbers to reach her if he needed anything, even after leaving for the day, knowing that he would be alone. He found a hotel in South Miami for the week and only had one more day of orientation before being able to go back to Orlando and see his wife and family. That morning as he approached his car in the gated parking lot, he saw that it had been broken into and his laptop was stolen. He called Laura immediately, stunned that all of this had happened to him in just one week. Laura gave of her own time in guiding him through the process of filing a police report, securing his remaining belongings and then made sure he got to SMH for his last day of orientation. Laura went over and above helping this new traveler cope with the unexpected events that occurred during his first week of orientation at Baptist.

She represented Baptist Hospital with her actions and knowledge and showed her commitment and dedication to excellence by being his lifeline and support during his difficult time. A true advocate for our staff and a representative of the Baptist Way!