My father is 91 years old and was getting a complete knee replacement. We were greeted in the Joel Pomerene hospital waiting room by Lori and another young lady who we assumed was a second nurse. Both were very friendly and welcoming. They led us back to the surgical area to complete all the pre-op questions and paperwork. We soon realized the other young lady was a nursing student doing a clinical rotation. This is really a two-part story.

Part one is the way Lori treated my father with dignity, respect, and kindness. Part two is the way she treated the nursing student with dignity, respect, kindness, and encouragement. She fully included her in the process, building her confidence by allowing her to lead the questioning and do the routine checks for my father. She would quietly explain the why behind the processes and give helpful hints about how to do something a little easier or quicker. Both her treatment of my father and the student nurse left us very confident in the care that we received and would receive during the surgery.

On the day of the surgery, we were greeted again by Lori and her student nurse, putting my dad at complete ease knowing he was in good hands. We were impacted by Lori, and I can only imagine the valuable and lasting impact Lori had on the student nurse and her future patients because she had such a positive mentor during a very important stage of her training. Thank you, Lori, for the nursing student, and Joel Pomerene Hospital for the exceptional medical care we received.