Katie Boutel demonstrated exceptional commitment by volunteering to work additional hours on a highly demanding Saturday in the OR. This proactive approach enabled us to deliver exceptional care to multiple patients efficiently, mitigating the potential strain on the OR staff. Furthermore, as a member of the OR’s CVT team, Katie diligently investigates upcoming scheduled cases and has identified patient comorbidities that may have impacted their surgical care. Katie promptly informs the Anesthesia and Surgical teams responsible for these patients, contributing to the team’s ability to provide high-quality care and mitigate potential complications.
Katie has been a great asset to the Surgical Services team. She is engaging with staff and physicians. She has implemented several process improvement projects, particularly with our Crash cart process for Open-Heart cases. She has collaborated with our surgeons on the expectations for open-heart patients by ensuring that the safety checks were done appropriately on every patient. Katie also assisted with the defibrillator checks on weekly crash carts, where she clearly communicated and created mock-up sheets to remind staff when full defibrillator checks were due every Monday. She is a participant on our Patient Safety Committee and consistently advocates for patient safety. Katie played a key role in the success of our TAVR program, which involves the Open Heart team. She motivates her peers to always speak up and do what is right in the department. She is a true leader in the Surgical Services arena for staff and surgeons, where she is consulted on off-hours and always has a positive response when sought out. She embodies the teamwork values through her positivity and helpfulness, inspiring staff to do the same.