Maria Teresita Kabigting, known to all as Tess, exemplifies the best qualities as a nurse and as a colleague. She is known in the OR for her dedicated hard work, and dedication to patient care. She often volunteers to stay late, even when operative cases extend into the evening. She has skills in many surgical sub-specialties, and goes out of her way to share her expert knowledge with more rookie nurses or techs or doctors, where she serves as a nurse educator. She always knows how to get things done, where to locate a hard-to-find instrument or piece of equipment and will always go the “extra-mile” for a patient no matter the time of day.

What is even more amazing to me is that she has done this for years without any formal acknowledgement (she has not yet been designated, Thoracic Team Leader), but merely out of the pride she takes in her job. On numerous occasions she has asked me whether I had any challenging or technically demanding cases scheduled, so she would be there to assist knowing that it would be best for the patient to have her present for the operation. She is a patient advocate, whose sensitivity and communication skills are phenomenal. It is not uncommon that a patient tells me that he was very nervous before the surgery, but that once meeting Tess, he felt reassured and knew that the surgery would go well.

Over the years, she always maintains a high level of work, despite any personal challenges. For this, I can honestly say, Tess is a role model for me. She is consistent, reliable, and always the consummate professional, perhaps motivated by the type of deeply felt pride in knowing that she does the best she can, every day, for each individual patient, always.