Tammy Patton is the charge RN in the PreOp PACU of South Hospital. She comes to us after spending many years downtown at the Jewish facility with experience in cardiac procedures. Her knowledge is vast, her patience palpable, and her heart for caring huge!

Tammy told me of an encounter of an elderly patient in a wheelchair trying to register at our patient desk for an x-ray of his hip. She stated this patient, a 97yo male, reminded her a lot of her father when he was at that age. He was frail and suspected of a possible fracture. Her heart was full at the sight of him, and she wanted to help.

She overheard the registrar state that there was no order for an x-ray of his hip. Tammy couldn't bear to walk away and not help. She asked if the order was in Epic to the registrar. The registrar stated that they had no access to Epic to check. Tammy could not bear to send this sweet patient away and asked the patient if his provider told him to come here for an x-ray. He stated yes. So, Tammy told the patient and the registrar to hold on and that she would go and access Epic to check. There was no order in Epic either.

She went back to the patient and asked him if he was familiar with myChart. She sat with him, accessed his information and found the order to be printed to bring to the hospital for the x-ray. She emailed the order to herself, printed it off, and presented it to the regristrar.

The patient was able to get his x-ray and not be turned away.

I could feel the pride in Tammy and how going out of her way made her feel like she was helping a patient in need, much like her dad. Her heart was so full.