Trudy
Eaton
June 2010
Trudy
Eaton
,
RN
Post Anesthesia Care Unit
Atrium Health - University City
Charlotte
,
NC
United States
I would like to nominate Trudy Eaton, ANM OPS/PACU for the “Daisy Award”. I have had the pleasure of working with Trudy for the past 9 years in our unit and to this day can remember my first encounter with her. She had brought a patient to me from PACU when I was working on the 5th floor. The patient had some issues with blood pressure when she brought him to the room and being the “Trudy” that she is, she stayed with the patient and did not leave his side until he was stable. That was 9 years ago and Trudy has never changed. Trudy is viewed as the unit “expert” and her skill, knowledge and expertise are such a blessing for our unit. She treats everyone as if they were her own children, whether that being a kind word or a self realization!
Numerous times over the years Trudy has worked extra, taken someone’s call when the need arose, postponed her own “agenda” for the sake of someone else and virtually given her “all” for the unit. I would like to share two specific occasions. In April of this year, Trudy was taking care of a gentleman that worked for the system. When getting ready to discharge, it was discovered there was a “mix up” with his clothes. Trudy worked nonstop to figure out what had happened. When it was found that another patient had this fellow’s clothes, Trudy drove to the other patient’s home and actually brought back her patient’s clothes to the hospital. To note, Trudy received call shortly after that her mother had been taken to the hospital emergently. Trudy quickly switch gears and drove to Statesville to see her mother after all this.
As if this doesn’t touch you, a week ago Trudy came in on her day off to check on some things in the unit. When she arrived, we were told that an “add on” was coming in and there was Trudy to help the nurse that was currently on duty. As it turned out, the add on patient was taken immediately to surgery in very grave condition. The wife was left in the waiting room, by herself, and Trudy took it upon herself to go and sit with the wife. As it turned out, the anesthesiologist on duty talked with the wife to tell her that her husband would not make it through the surgery. Trudy stayed with her and you have to think that this was directed by a higher power. Trudy comforted her, talked with her, and just was doing what Trudy always does. The patient did end up passing away a few hours later. Afterwards, a few days later, I heard Trudy ask someone for the address to his home because she wanted to send the wife a card. WOW!
I consider it an honor to know Trudy, to work with Trudy, but mostly to say that Trudy is my friend. We are so blessed to have her as a manager, resource, mother figure, but mostly a good friend.
Numerous times over the years Trudy has worked extra, taken someone’s call when the need arose, postponed her own “agenda” for the sake of someone else and virtually given her “all” for the unit. I would like to share two specific occasions. In April of this year, Trudy was taking care of a gentleman that worked for the system. When getting ready to discharge, it was discovered there was a “mix up” with his clothes. Trudy worked nonstop to figure out what had happened. When it was found that another patient had this fellow’s clothes, Trudy drove to the other patient’s home and actually brought back her patient’s clothes to the hospital. To note, Trudy received call shortly after that her mother had been taken to the hospital emergently. Trudy quickly switch gears and drove to Statesville to see her mother after all this.
As if this doesn’t touch you, a week ago Trudy came in on her day off to check on some things in the unit. When she arrived, we were told that an “add on” was coming in and there was Trudy to help the nurse that was currently on duty. As it turned out, the add on patient was taken immediately to surgery in very grave condition. The wife was left in the waiting room, by herself, and Trudy took it upon herself to go and sit with the wife. As it turned out, the anesthesiologist on duty talked with the wife to tell her that her husband would not make it through the surgery. Trudy stayed with her and you have to think that this was directed by a higher power. Trudy comforted her, talked with her, and just was doing what Trudy always does. The patient did end up passing away a few hours later. Afterwards, a few days later, I heard Trudy ask someone for the address to his home because she wanted to send the wife a card. WOW!
I consider it an honor to know Trudy, to work with Trudy, but mostly to say that Trudy is my friend. We are so blessed to have her as a manager, resource, mother figure, but mostly a good friend.