When Garin Servoss, RN, drops off patients from the post-acute care unit (PACU) to other units at Intermountain Medical Center, he makes of point of checking on caregivers and asking if they need help. Garin has recently been recognized by two different departments—the surgical trauma unit and the orthopedics/plastics unit—for lending a hand.
Angela McCloud, RN, nurse manager at the surgical trauma unit, says, “On a recent night, Garin dropped off a patient and noticed how busy my caregivers were. He asked the charge nurse who needed the most help and what tasks he could do to help this caregiver. He then went and gave medications to her patients.”
“Garin consistently goes above and beyond what’s expected of him,” Angela says. “We all admire and appreciate him for his willingness to step up on our unit. This hasn’t happened just one time, but every time he comes to drop off a patient. He always does something extra to help the nurses and aides.”
“I’ve been that nurse who’s struggling. I know what a difference it can make to have help,” says Garin, who adds that offering help is just what he does. “I work the night shift and I help out all over the hospital, looking for opportunities.”
Garin says when he takes a patient from the PACU to another floor and it takes a long time to do a hand-off to another nurse, he sees it as an opportunity. “I’ll ask what’s happening on the floor and if there’s anything I can do,” he says. “I’ve become really good at starting IVs, and people know they can trust me for different things. A lot of people think I work in the float pool.”
Adam King, RN, nurse manager on orthopedics/plastics, says two night in a row he’s received notes from different charge nurses complimenting Garin. Adam says, “One of the notes read, ‘Garin helped us after delivering a patient from the PACU and saved us a lot of grief. He passed meds, started platelets, and helped with patient care.’ Garin shows us a great example of how One Intermountain really should look for all caregivers.”
Angela says, “I know how busy Garin is with his own job duties and expectations in the PACU, but he recognizes that doing just one little thing for someone else can make a huge difference in their shift. Imagine what the hospital would be like if we all took on this mentality and practiced a ‘Garin culture.’”
“Nursing is the hardest job I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of jobs outside of healthcare,” says Garin. “As nurses we can become so busy, but we’re all in this together.”
“Thank you Garin for all you do not only on this unit, but throughout the entire hospital,” says Angela.