Lori Karvonen
May 2017
Lori
Karvonen
,
RN
Operating Room
Providence Alaska Medical Center
Anchorage
,
AK
United States
Last Charge nursing in the OR, let alone on any floor, is a tough job. You receive grief and glory from all ends: surgeons, anesthesia, communicating with staff from other floors, and working with nurses and techs among you. Lori constantly juggles the daily duties as a charge nurse in the OR and remains a vital resource to her staff. She advocates for her patients by constantly monitoring the board and moving cases around to ensure on time starts throughout the day. She also advocates for her staff, to ensure the staff assigned to each room are comfortable with the cases assigned. If they are not, she remains a resource for that case and she will additionally find an extra person to be in the room with you to guide you through the case. She consistently stays over on busy days to give the swing crew lunches before she leaves the OR.
***
I have a personal experience of being assigned to a pericardial window in a regular OR suite. These are typically done by the heart team and in a heart suite, but the surgeon assured us the patient is stable, there is no need for a heart team or a heart suite. I was uncomfortable, read: terrified, this is not a regular occurrence, but wanted to learn a new procedure. Lori assigned me a heart team member to assist me until the patient was settled in and the case well into its start. In this instance, she advocated for both her patient and her staff to ensure the safest outcome. This is only one specific example from one person. Add a staff of 40 or so and we could write a book!
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I started out as a fellow 4 years ago and her as a main preceptor to us fellows. Always an open mind, easy to approach, and full of knowledge. We thought we were lucky to have such an amazing preceptor. We are even more lucky to have her as such an amazing charge and mentor. She brings years of wisdom, experience, and compassion to the OR. She always has an open ear and open heart whether it be nursing related or life advice.
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I think it's safe to say this nomination is a group effort. We want you to know that you do make a difference and you are valuable to us. You have a bunch of "sons and daughters" here and we know we always have a "mom".
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I have a personal experience of being assigned to a pericardial window in a regular OR suite. These are typically done by the heart team and in a heart suite, but the surgeon assured us the patient is stable, there is no need for a heart team or a heart suite. I was uncomfortable, read: terrified, this is not a regular occurrence, but wanted to learn a new procedure. Lori assigned me a heart team member to assist me until the patient was settled in and the case well into its start. In this instance, she advocated for both her patient and her staff to ensure the safest outcome. This is only one specific example from one person. Add a staff of 40 or so and we could write a book!
***
I started out as a fellow 4 years ago and her as a main preceptor to us fellows. Always an open mind, easy to approach, and full of knowledge. We thought we were lucky to have such an amazing preceptor. We are even more lucky to have her as such an amazing charge and mentor. She brings years of wisdom, experience, and compassion to the OR. She always has an open ear and open heart whether it be nursing related or life advice.
***
I think it's safe to say this nomination is a group effort. We want you to know that you do make a difference and you are valuable to us. You have a bunch of "sons and daughters" here and we know we always have a "mom".