Sunila Goberhan
May 2017
Sunila
Goberdhan
,
LPN
Spinal Cord Injury-D
James A. Haley VA Hospital
Tampa
,
FL
United States
Sunila's nickname is Suni and that name describes her to a Tee. Suni is new to the VA but from the first day, she has been patient focused and results driven. She cares for her veteran patients as if she is caring for the most valuable person in the world. She is not afraid of hard work and she is always the happiest and most engaging staff member on whichever unit she works.
One day Suni truly went above and beyond what was required of her. This particular day was a warm day among days that had been on the cooler side. She started her day with report, but then Suni disappeared for a couple of hours. When she came back to the Nurse's Station at around 10 a.m., she was slightly out of breath, but had a big smile on her face. With her, she had a patient no one recognized in a power wheelchair. She smiled big and said, "This is Mr. B!" You could have heard a pin drop and every mouth was hanging open. You could only say that Suni had spit shined the patient. He was out of bed for the first time in more than a month and he was clean, dressed and his hair was styled. You may be thinking that this is what nurses should do for every patient. Well, not this one. He had been very depressed, quite a bit angry and often refused care. Everyone feared he would not do well, but Suni considered this a challenge. That morning, Suni had actually talked him into care, convinced him he needed to sit in the sun and actually had him smiling on his way outside. All of us looked at Suni like she was a miracle worker! We found out she did it all by herself. The care Suni provided did not require technology or advanced training, but the care she provided had far reaching effects for this patient. He never again stayed in bed for weeks. He began to engage with staff and his outlook became more optimistic. After this time, most days you could find him sitting in front of the center with other veterans enjoying the sun. His health improved and eventually he was transferred to our Long Term Care Unit. Suni continues to be a motivated, positive influence wherever she works. She is a credit to our VA hospital and a true DAISY Nurse.
One day Suni truly went above and beyond what was required of her. This particular day was a warm day among days that had been on the cooler side. She started her day with report, but then Suni disappeared for a couple of hours. When she came back to the Nurse's Station at around 10 a.m., she was slightly out of breath, but had a big smile on her face. With her, she had a patient no one recognized in a power wheelchair. She smiled big and said, "This is Mr. B!" You could have heard a pin drop and every mouth was hanging open. You could only say that Suni had spit shined the patient. He was out of bed for the first time in more than a month and he was clean, dressed and his hair was styled. You may be thinking that this is what nurses should do for every patient. Well, not this one. He had been very depressed, quite a bit angry and often refused care. Everyone feared he would not do well, but Suni considered this a challenge. That morning, Suni had actually talked him into care, convinced him he needed to sit in the sun and actually had him smiling on his way outside. All of us looked at Suni like she was a miracle worker! We found out she did it all by herself. The care Suni provided did not require technology or advanced training, but the care she provided had far reaching effects for this patient. He never again stayed in bed for weeks. He began to engage with staff and his outlook became more optimistic. After this time, most days you could find him sitting in front of the center with other veterans enjoying the sun. His health improved and eventually he was transferred to our Long Term Care Unit. Suni continues to be a motivated, positive influence wherever she works. She is a credit to our VA hospital and a true DAISY Nurse.