In the 2.5 years Robert Groves and I have worked together, he has been a resource for all of the clinical nurses. He knows policy and procedure forwards and backwards. He serves as a unit-based educator ensuring that all the nurses are properly trained. He is always available to answer questions and many times he will show us better ways to complete the tasks at hand. As well as Robert treats his colleagues, he shows his true worth in patient care.
Robert has a way of making his patients feel at ease. He gauges their physical abilities by asking them about their hobbies and keeps a conversation flowing naturally while ascertaining the information he needs for his assessment. His assessment skills are second to none. I always look forward to following up with a patient that Robert has seen previously because his clinical notes never cease to paint an excellent picture of what is really going on with the patient. In his current position as of 1/26/18, Robert is Patient Aligned Care Team RN Care Coordinator (PACT) at the Hinesville VA Clinic. The PACT physician relies on Robert to manage his panel of over 1000 patients. Many of these patients have multiple chronic conditions. I remember when the reports first came out regarding elevated A1C's, Robert personally called his diabetic patients into his office to draw blood for a new A1C (this was before we had the DVA Vantage machine in our clinic), counseled his patients about their disease process, and set up follow up appointments for all of them to follow-up with him and monitor their progress.
Nursing isn't just about starting IVs and dispensing medications. It is about treating the whole patient. Recently, Robert was sitting with a mid-twenties suicidal man who was awaiting transfer to an inpatient psychiatric unit. When the patient uttered the words, "No one would even miss me if I killed myself right now," Robert sprang into action. Robert, though a generation older than this man, was able to empathize with him, communicate with him using their shared love of music, and convince him that he genuinely cared for him and that he would miss him. Before the patient left to be transferred by EMS to the inpatient psychiatric facility, he told Robert, "I guess you're worth sticking around for."
Through all of his interaction with staff, patients, and their families, Robert is the embodiment of integrity, commitment, respect, and excellence.