Kristi Gerling
February 2014
Kristi
Gerling
,
RN, BSN
3/4 Surgical
Missouri Baptist Medical Center
St. Louis
,
MO
United States

 

 

 

Kristi is definitely a perfect person to receive this award. Not only does she have a smile on her face in every room, but a smile on her face when dealing with her coworkers. There was one instance that I can recall that really made her shine.

The two of us were taking care of a patient who was in great shape all day. The patient was dressed and ready to go, but Kristi made a quick observation. The patient's status declined quickly. She became drowsy and had difficulty making words. Kristi was on the ball even though it was almost time for her shift to end. The attentiveness was very impressive, however, not the reason why she gets the nomination from me. It was the compassion and concern she showed toward the patient's husband. He was terrified and didn't grasp what was happening. The love of his life did not recognize him.

Kristi stayed hours past her shift to keep her familiar face around for the husband. She stayed with him until all the tests were completed and a decision to transfer to Barnes was made. I ended up leaving around that point, but when I came back the next day the whole floor was shocked that she stayed until the patient transferred to Barnes. Kristi is a huge asset to our floor and I am very pleased every day I get to work with her smiling face.