Although I have thought highly of Corky for a long time, I was inspired to nominate him because of his actions recently when a patient was brought in emergently with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. We usually have all available staff help in such cases and Corky jumped in to help the one scrub tech who was assisting two surgeons on this hectic case. He is an experienced, skilled and conscientious nurse who consistently goes above and beyond what is expected and always has the patient's best interests foremost in mind.

Corky is an "old school" surgical nurse who can scrub in many types of cases such as vascular and heart surgeries, liver transplants and difficult orthopedic procedures. He can circulate in all types of cases. Since he has been on the weekend shift, there have been a few times where he has been assigned to cases in procedural areas outside the Main OR because of his broad experience. He's got a good personality for dealing with staff in difficult situations.

Corky doesn't take shortcuts and he has a solid knowledge base which is probably why he was assigned to be my preceptor several times during my orthopedic and neurosurgery orientation a few years ago. He seems to be pretty well-known by those who have worked in surgery in the city over the past 25 years or so. When you mention Corky's name, the usual response is, "Oh yeah, I know that guy!"

He is so "old school" that he actually does not believe in awards like this. He thinks people shouldn't be recognized for doing what they "ought to be doing". So, the only thing better than having Corky win a DAISY Award, will be to see his face when he gets it!