Tia is an amazing nurse and always goes above and beyond for the patients on RB6. One of the most recent examples of Tia going above and beyond is with a 83-year-old patient who had a car accident. This poor patient sustained rib fractures, sternal fracture, T4-12 epidural spinal cord hematoma with severe cord compression/paraplegia now w/ gradual functional LE motor recovery. The patient had progressed to be discharged home but had one barrier. She could not void independently and needed to learn how to straight catharize herself every six hours. All the injuries, her age, anxiety and pain that this patient sustained made straight catharizing herself quite challenging. Nursing kept alerting the patient's team that she was unable to do the intermittent catharize without help after many days of education. What made this more of a challenge is the patient lived alone and would have no one able to help her. She had done so well in her recovery that she could not even get into a rehab. After a week of nursing trying to teach the patient, she became super anxious and tearful when it was time to attempt to empty her bladder. The staff looked up to Tia as a nurse and the Unit Based Educator for RB6, so they turned to her for assistance. Tia was more than happy to help the nursing team and patient. Tia spent extended periods teaching the patient, listening to her concerns, and figuring out ways she could overcome the barriers she was facing due to her injuries. She did this even when she wasn't the patient's primary nurse, as it took time, patience, and compassion. Sure, enough after this dedication, Tia was able to get this patient home where she was independently able to straight catharize herself.

During her tenure at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), she has implemented many other projects that exemplified her leadership abilities such as pain management improvement initiatives, safety and quality assurance huddles, weekly tidbits, ortho spine class as well as many others. Tia’s Master of Science degree has helped her grow into and excel as a nurse on a highly acute floor. With each new nursing experience, she has gained critical experience and strengthened her leadership skills. She has collaborated with other health care professionals to ensure the highest quality of care for her patients. She should be recognized as having a solid foundation of further advancement based on the many experiences she has gained here at the hospital. Our current healthcare environment demands nurses possess a comprehensive skill set of scientific knowledge, outcome measurement, and leadership qualities, to assure the best patient outcomes. Tia has shown that she has been able to help lift the profession to the next level. Tia will continue to educate new nurses, lobby for nursing policy, implement evidence into practice, and have a better understanding of historical aspects of nursing as she advances her career.