Laurie Rathbun
April 2021
Laurie
Rathbun
,
RN, BSN
Critical Care Unit
TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center
She made his treatment interesting to both his scientific curiosity but also engaged his storytelling soul. I truly believed this extra care she gave him helped him reorient himself after the trauma of the previous days.
Laurie exemplified compassionate connected care as she cared for both her patient and his wife during their stay at Southern Hills. Thank you Laurie for your excellent care of our patients. Please read the heart-warming nomination below and you will see why Laurie is so deserving of this honor and award:
My husband suffered a medical emergency that landed him in the Neuro ICU at Southern Hills Medical Center. While every staff member we encountered and interacted with was a comfort and pleasure, our nurse assigned to us on day 2 of our ICU journey was a most remarkable woman.
Laurie introduced herself with a hearty confidence and we immediately felt we could relax and let her guide us in this strange and frightening new world we had suddenly found ourselves in. She immediately instilled a trust in us that she was more than capable in her role and it was easy to follow her lead. Laurie was our guardian, our protector, our advocate, the wrangler of doctors and technicians, (all of whom were wonderful) and the harvester of information we were seeking, gathering everything she could to meet our needs. Laurie even shared some of her personal, handmade moisturizer with my husband when she noticed his dry lips and cracked knuckles. The smell of bee's wax, eucalyptus & lemon was really comforting, and he still has a little bit left, in the little pill cup she put it in, beside the bed at home.
She provided comfort instinctively as I watched my husband being wheeled out for brain biopsy surgery. Without me realizing my need, she wrapped her arms around me and said, "okay, he's out of sight. Let it go". And boy that released a flood I had been holding back for days. When the storm passed, I was strengthened and prepared to meet whatever was coming next.
When Laurie found out my husband was a 4th grade history teacher, she told him about her love of history; that she participated in historical re-enactments with her husband in her free time which engaged my husband in talking to her about Tennessee history. When Laurie heard my husband also taught science, she would answer all his questions about his care in as much detail as he wanted, even if she had to repeat herself a few times. She made his treatment interesting to both his scientific curiosity but also engaged his storytelling soul. I truly believed this extra care she gave him helped him reorient himself after the trauma of the previous days.
Her sense of humor helped me laugh at ourselves and the ridiculous world around us; she helped me remember that life is still funny, crises will pass, and the sun will come out again.
We spent 4 days in Laurie's expert care before she was rotated to another unit; the same day my husband was moved out of ICU and onto the CCU floor. Nevertheless, she found us 3 different times to say hello and to encourage us in our forward progress.
My husband was not Laurie's only patient, but she made us feel like he was. We were not her family, but she made us feel like we were. We had never met this beautiful soul before, but we will never forget her. In my opinion, Laurie is the perfect example of a person called to a profession, going above and beyond that profession and into ministry. We were blessed by her being a part of the Southern Hills care team.
My husband suffered a medical emergency that landed him in the Neuro ICU at Southern Hills Medical Center. While every staff member we encountered and interacted with was a comfort and pleasure, our nurse assigned to us on day 2 of our ICU journey was a most remarkable woman.
Laurie introduced herself with a hearty confidence and we immediately felt we could relax and let her guide us in this strange and frightening new world we had suddenly found ourselves in. She immediately instilled a trust in us that she was more than capable in her role and it was easy to follow her lead. Laurie was our guardian, our protector, our advocate, the wrangler of doctors and technicians, (all of whom were wonderful) and the harvester of information we were seeking, gathering everything she could to meet our needs. Laurie even shared some of her personal, handmade moisturizer with my husband when she noticed his dry lips and cracked knuckles. The smell of bee's wax, eucalyptus & lemon was really comforting, and he still has a little bit left, in the little pill cup she put it in, beside the bed at home.
She provided comfort instinctively as I watched my husband being wheeled out for brain biopsy surgery. Without me realizing my need, she wrapped her arms around me and said, "okay, he's out of sight. Let it go". And boy that released a flood I had been holding back for days. When the storm passed, I was strengthened and prepared to meet whatever was coming next.
When Laurie found out my husband was a 4th grade history teacher, she told him about her love of history; that she participated in historical re-enactments with her husband in her free time which engaged my husband in talking to her about Tennessee history. When Laurie heard my husband also taught science, she would answer all his questions about his care in as much detail as he wanted, even if she had to repeat herself a few times. She made his treatment interesting to both his scientific curiosity but also engaged his storytelling soul. I truly believed this extra care she gave him helped him reorient himself after the trauma of the previous days.
Her sense of humor helped me laugh at ourselves and the ridiculous world around us; she helped me remember that life is still funny, crises will pass, and the sun will come out again.
We spent 4 days in Laurie's expert care before she was rotated to another unit; the same day my husband was moved out of ICU and onto the CCU floor. Nevertheless, she found us 3 different times to say hello and to encourage us in our forward progress.
My husband was not Laurie's only patient, but she made us feel like he was. We were not her family, but she made us feel like we were. We had never met this beautiful soul before, but we will never forget her. In my opinion, Laurie is the perfect example of a person called to a profession, going above and beyond that profession and into ministry. We were blessed by her being a part of the Southern Hills care team.