Laurie Deperno
September 2016
Laurie
Deperno
,
RN
Heart and Vascular Center
Upstate University Hospital Health System
Syracuse
,
NY
United States

 

 

 

Laurie regularly stays beyond her regular hours to care for patients and comes in early as well. In my time working with her, I have noticed she will cover for charge and work without breaks when the department is very busy. She is very patient with orienting new staff as well as experienced staff in roles they are unfamiliar with. She covers cath lab call as well as EVAR call and is one of the few staff in the lab that is able to work in the vascular lab with EVARs. She keeps up with the radiation badges for the entire department and is always busy, completing jobs that may seem small but often are those that might fall through the cracks. She is very observant of safety, and is economical and effective in her actions, particularly in emergency situations like STEMIs.
I have seen Laurie's interactions with patients and she is always very caring and patient, soothing the distressed and helping panicked patients cope while helping them get the lifesaving interventions they need. One story I can think of involves a very special young lady who came to us for a vascular intervention. She was extremely nervous but Laurie was able to comfort her, wrapped her in warm blankets and stood by her through the entire procedure. She advocated for her for pain medication and a light sedation and the patient was able to complete the procedure. I think this made the procedure go more smoothly for the physician as well. When it was over, she brought the patient to the floor and waited with her until her floor nurse came. This made for a smooth transition of care. The entire time she communicated with her and I think she treated her as if she were her own daughter. The patient just glowed under her care.