John Lindemulder, BSN, RN, CNOR

John is the coworker everyone wishes for. I am grateful for the chance to work alongside such a lovely person and exceptional nurse. He was one of the first people to welcome me to the perioperative unit; I remember the exchange like it was yesterday. He is a nurse whom I look up to and know I can approach with any questions or concerns. John’s compassionate care extends from the families he cares for to the staff he collaborates with.

On this particular day, a child entered the Emergency Room in pain to later find out he had appendicitis, which would require emergent surgery. There was a language barrier, and our interpreter team worked to ensure that the family understood the plan for surgery.

When it was the patient’s turn to go to the Operating Room, John was their primary OR nurse. The patient was nervous about their surgery, and John took no time to begin settling the patient, while simultaneously easing the nerves of the patient’s parents.

John let them all know, “Grandpa John would be holding his hand the entire time and that it was ok to be nervous”. I could see the anxiety melt away as the patient reached for John’s hand. In that moment, there was no language barrier

When the patient was awake from their surgery, John made sure to check back in with the patient. He smiled and held his hand to reassure the patient that everything went smoothly.

Witnessing this caring and supportive exchange, if there was ever a need for my child to require surgery, I would hope for them to be in John’s care.

This is just one of countless examples of how John exemplifies Children’s Hospital Colorado’s four core values, models excellent interpersonal skills, and has a positive attitude.