Loretta is one of the most valuable assets to the DH OR. She is a mentor, she is a leader, she is a teacher, and most importantly, she is a nurse.

When I first started at DH, she took me under her wing and mentored me to the Charge role. She taught me what it meant to be not just a Charge nurse, but a good Charge nurse.

Loretta has sacrificed her own "druthers" to ensure that her night shift staff get the schedule that works best for them and their families - and still provides a safe mix of skills and experience for our patients. She spends hours of her off-duty time struggling through the schedule to cover holidays and vacations. It wasn't until recently, when a couple more staff stepped off the shift (they were very sad to leave), that she finally had to ask for help covering all the holes. She had managed to cover them for so long (and so well) that no one was aware of how taxing it really was.

Loretta teaches nurses, techs, CNAs, ES, and anesthesia and surgical staff to DH processes, the night shift, and traumas. She is one of our foremost trauma experts. She has developed interactive PowerPoints with recorded trauma activations so staff can practice mentally preparing for a trauma. She has developed competencies and teaching plans for staff. I would love to use her for instructional design!

Finally, Loretta is a nurse. Loretta has a compassion that runs strong and deep. Recently, a young man came in with a very bloody hand injury. He was still drunk, confused, and scared. He was dehydrated and crying. Loretta grabbed some washcloths and started to wipe him up gently to remove some of the sticky blood that was all over his face, chest, and arms. She gave him one wet washcloth to suck on and alleviate his thirst a little (preoperative patients can not drink water). When she was done cleaning him up, she held his hand and reassured him that she was there to take care of him and that he was going to have a great surgery. Loretta was in charge. She could've been focused on setting up the ORs for the next day or writing the schedule on the board. She could've been in the back with the team opening the OR. Loretta knew that the board and the ORs could wait and that she had a competent team preparing for surgery. The most important thing for her to do that night was give that patient the care and compassion he so desperately needed.

This is by no means a complete history of Loretta. She has one of the most interesting and impressive careers I have ever seen. We are privileged to have so awesome a nurse in our department. Whether people realize it or not, to work with Loretta Robb or to be cared for by her is to be in the presence of nursing greatness.