Have you worked with a GOAT in healthcare?

[DesiDani]

Even administration. Tell about the one CNA or RN that you worked with that was top-notch? What made them stand out and has anyone come close?

A little break from the rant threads.

[DesiDani]

I meant a GOAT by the way.

[Davey Do]

I applaud your endeavor for a positive thread, DesiDani.

Hands down, the top notch coworkers were my work wife Eleanor and psych tech Rooty Payne. We all had the same high standards for patient care and good senses of humor.

We were known as....

 

[DesiDani]

First, no it wasn't the candy she put out for us. I worked in a nursing home. This older nurse at least 60-70s was like zen all the time. Always calm, nice, and a good nurse. Any question you had for her she never rolled eyes at them. Did I mentioned she'd bring candy?

Sadly she went home, went to bed one night, and never woke up. She was at my first healthcare job, so that was a plus.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

7 hours ago, DesiDani said:

Sadly she went home, went to bed one night, and never woke up.

That's actually my ideal way to go. No drama, no pain, no expense. Maybe disappointing that there's no opportunity to say something to your loved ones, but still sounds perfect.

As far as a GOAT, I've had a few people that inspire me to be better nurses every day. I try to take a little piece of knowledge or experience from each of them and put them all together. One of my favorites was a preceptor during my student nurse days. I've mentioned her before because she was a LPN in a hospital environment that was phasing out LPNs. She loved to teach, she loved providing care to patients, she always kept her cool, she was really the nurse we all wanted to be when we graduated. 

[amoLucia]

What is GOAT???

Worked with 1 LPN who was prob the coworker I MOST appreciated working with. She was so grounded - I trusted her implicitly. I could breathe a sigh of relief just knowing she was covering her unit. Never questioned her clinical decisions.

I sometimes started to escalate anxiety and she could just calm me down with a short word or two or a glance. She was younger than me - I knew a little about her daughters and her last place to work, but when she died while I was still there, it was like a piece of me was ripped out. I soooo missed her afterwards.

Later, after I had to audit & close out some old charts, it would just HIT me to see her handwriting (gorgeous handwriting & excellent notes). I remember running MY hand over her notes a couple times. I still have a bottle of fragranced body lotion. She wore that fragrance. And I really liked it for myself, so I'll never use it up. I smile whenever I whiff it.

 

[DesiDani]

1 hour ago, amoLucia said:

see her handwriting (gorgeous handwriting & excellent notes

Before we went to online charting, there was this doctor who writing looked liked it was typed. 

[JKL33]

Yes. Two of them. And I am so lucky that  I met each of them when they were orienting me. The first was my preceptor in my new grad specialty and the second oriented me to a new specialty years later. I worked alongside each of them for a respectable number of years.

They are/were both what I call a "nurse's nurse," meaning that the core tenets of nursing were important to them and they operated accordingly. They were both kind, both calm/non-reactive, both very professional and both clearly enjoyed patients. No one's perfect, but their judgment seemed impeccable. Both were also helpful and encouraging to anyone who asked for help or needed encouragement. They were never seen gossiping, ripping people down or talking much about whatever disappointments they might have encountered at work. They tried to be problem-solvers and team players. At the same time, they really didn't seem to compromise their values no matter what was going on at work.

In both respective workplaces nurses looked up to them. IMO they deserved that.

I still sometimes evaluate my own thoughts and actions by asking myself "what would ______ do?" and I think I have avoided some major angst and  pitfalls this way.

??

[LibraNurse27, BSN, RN]

7 hours ago, amoLucia said:

What is GOAT???

Greatest Of All Time = ) I worked with a nurse who was the nicest, calmest, most helpful person I've ever met, not exaggerating. He maintained a positive attitude throughout the worst of the pandemic. I think I heard him ask "Do you need any help?" about 100 times a shift. He was also a PICC nurse and would run all around the hospital doing ultrasound IVs, and trained in martial arts so very fit and always volunteered to help with turning patients, pushing beds, etc.

I have a suspicion he's a robot, because I never saw him take lunch. I think he just plugs in to recharge, or changes his batteries. I strive to be like him but I don't know where to start: improve my IV skills, get in shape, buy a positive attitude on Ebay...? 

[DesiDani]

A unit mgr was helpful, nice, and respectful. The nurses and CNA liked her. But others thought she was too nice and forced her out.

[DesiDani]

12 hours ago, JBMmom said:

That's actually my ideal way to go. No drama, no pain, no expense. Maybe disappointing that there's no opportunity to say something to your loved ones, but still sounds perfect.

I remember she was single with no kids, only her dogs. She was supposed to show for work, but didn't. This lady was never slow and could move. Anyway, since it was unusual for her not to show up a friend went to her place and found her in the bed.

[ikarus01]

Back in 2004 or so, was working as an agency nurse, and would mainly get sent to an orthopedics floor where everybody was very unhelpful. 

One weekday, I was sent to a med surg floor. As soon as I step in, I'm told, you have an admission coming in.  As I'm getting report, I get a call, your patient is here.  

Once report is done, I go check on that patient, as I'm entering the room, another nurse is coming out, and she says, "I got the vital signs, got the admission paperwork started."  I thought, wow, that's nice.  I figured it was maybe a nurse from a previous shift leaving.

Once I did the paperwork (yes, no EMR's at this place then), I come back to the nurses station, and I see the nurse who got the vital signs and did most of the admission paperwork in an office.  I asked the secretary, who is that? And says, that's the nursing director. What?

Then it took less than an hour to see how everybody was helping each other on that floor. It was so different from the ortho floor.   After doing 2 more shifts on that floor I realized---everybody's attitude on this floor is so different in terms of helping each other because the nursing director, even though she could have just closed her door, wear fancy outfits as part of her title, she was always around eager to help other nurses.  And her helpful attitude was contagious.   I remember other agency nurses coming to that floor saying, I love this floor because everybody is so helfpul.

Then I observed the director of the ortho floor, and yep, door always closed, never around to help.  That nursing director from that floor, although I barely spoke to her, made such an impression that it really taught me the phrase, it all starts from the top!