Patti Watkins
April 2021
Patti
Watkins
,
RN, CNOR
Perioperative Services
Mayo Clinic Health System
Barron
,
WI
United States
Patti took quick action to involve the surgeon, nurse anesthetist, and inpatient hospitalist to assess the patient for further workup.
Patti is the definition of what any nurse should strive to be: caring, compassionate, empathetic, detail-oriented — with a sense of humor and a commitment to safety for her patients and colleagues. Toward the end of Patti's shift, she received a patient postoperatively. This patient was somnolent (abnormally drowsy), with a distinct mental status change from the preoperative baseline. Patti has cared for postoperative patients for many years and knew this was not just postanesthesia drowsiness. Patti took quick action to involve the surgeon, nurse anesthetist, and inpatient hospitalist to assess the patient for further workup. Patti not only went above and beyond to ensure this patient received the attentive care and workup he needed, but she stayed past shift time to admit the patient to the Medical-Surgical floor for further care. Patti's attention to detail, extraordinary care, and persistence are what saved this patient from going home when he was very ill.