Dorothy J Gathers
May 2023
Dorothy J
Gathers
,
BSN, RN
Ambulatory Surgery
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
Brooklyn
,
NY
United States

 

 

 

She sat down with the patient and sang gospel music with her. The patient’s face lit up with joy and she became relaxed and ready for her procedure.
We work in ambulatory surgery, where patients come in with very high anxiety levels due to the unknown. No matter how much preop teaching and self-teaching one has done before surgery, once you walk through our doors, anxiety takes over. Our nurse Dorothy Gathers on many occasions has displayed compassion, empathy, kindness, and grace with all her patients. One time we had an extremely anxious patient whom no one could calm. The patient refused any preop anxiety medications before she went into the operating room. The one person who was able to help was Ms. Gathers. She sat down with the patient and sang gospel music with her. The patient’s face lit up with joy and she became relaxed and ready for her procedure. This is only one occasion among many. There are many times as nurses we come across challenging patients who test our patience, but every day Ms. Gathers is warmhearted, loving, and selfless. She is an exceptional, outstanding, and unique nurse.