Tom Cooper
December 2021
Tom
Cooper
,
MSN, RN
Critical Care Unit
Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital
Tullahoma
,
TN
United States

 

 

 

Tom is a diligent nurse and this is evident in the work he does on a daily basis.
Tom Cooper assisted a patient who only spoke Spanish despite not being his primary nurse. This particular patient was indigent, an illegal alien, and non-English speaking. Tom came repeatedly to comfort the patient and translate for the primary team. The patient had a very serious infection in his foot due to uncontrolled diabetes.

At the time of discharge, despite having gotten all of the charity services we could for him, the patient was still left with approximately $200 in out-of-pocket costs for his 6 weeks of antibiotics. Tom Cooper gave the patient $300 of his own money out of his wallet to help this patient pay for his medications once he left the hospital. This was done without anyone asking him. He just did this out of the goodness of his heart. I have worked with Tom for 6 years now and this kind of behavior is not unusual in the least for him. He takes amazing care of each of his patients and is always available to pick up extra shifts. He cares so much about his patients and this facility as a whole.

The remarkable thing is that he still feels energetic. This kind of behavior, in a nutshell, is Tom. As a doctor, I rest assured whenever he is assigned to one of my patients. He truly is a remarkable nurse and human being. I am honored to work with him.

***

Tom is a diligent nurse and this is evident in the work he does on a daily basis. He is truly the voice of the patient who is too scared to speak.