Kim is training her dog, Bentley and is actively visiting Nursing Homes with Tiger, her sister’s dog, for Pet Therapy. She bought and researched about getting a dog for this purpose. To me this is about and beyond the call of duty.
I am trying to get pictures of her doing this, but she keeps giving pictures to patients because they love Tiger so much!
Kim puts patients at ease in pre-op. She gives out the prayer cards and often prays for patients that she knows are anxious about surgery.
One particular patient was really anxious before surgery and almost to the point of needing sedation in pre-op. Kim talked him down and explained the procedure to him again. He was at ease and actually smiling while talking to his family in pre-op, before surgery.
Kim is always ready to take a student nurse, either in AHEC of a summer student or LPN students. She willingly teaches them how to be compassionate and assts patients even as students. One LPN student told me last week that Kim has made her want to work in surgery because of her caring ways with patients who are scared of the unknown. The patient told us that he felt blessed because he had two angels that day caring for him, his LPN student and Kim.

Sherri Simpson RN, Surgery