The day I came to St. Luke’s Emergency with chest pain the department was swamped with more cases than they could handle. Who knows how many nurses, techs and others came to help? After waiting for hours, I was called to a treatment room where Katie first gave me compassionate care. I knew right away that Katie was very special. She was always thinking one step ahead about my treatment. After spending numerous hours there, she saw an opportunity and acted quickly. Katie was about to go up to 10S for her night shift when she heard that a room just opened up. Instead of going to work on 10S, she stayed and told me she wanted to bring me up there with her. She called her supervisor for approval, and she got it. Her thinking and anticipating what was needed next is amazing. She hears a room is open, she has to leave for 10S, she’s determined to take me, who would do that? Katie taking me up to where she provides special cardiac care makes perfect sense. She’s given me ER care and is best suited to transition me to my room and the team on 10S. Most nurses would have left me in the ER and gone to their next shift. I expected that to happen with me, but Katie had a better plan. I am so very grateful for having her both in the ER and 10S.

A few days later Katie cared for me again on 10S. It was then that I realized she was the same caring person she was when treating me in Emergency. She asks the same questions the other nurses did and found that my biggest complaint was lack of sleep. She took 3 steps to try to give me more sleep time. 1. She changed my IV bag before it ran out so I wouldn’t get beeping. 2. She put a sign on my door to keep it closed 3. She gave orders not to do blood draws until after 6 AM I couldn’t believe it. She was proactive and I had the quietest night of my week. The last thing you should know is that Katie is one of those who rises above the group because she balances her mechanical nursing duties, intelligence, and “take action” thinking with a personality that draws others. You can hear it on the floor. Yet she continues to be humble about herself and always puts the patient first. Thank you, Katie.