Loni Verzuh
May 2019
Loni
Verzuh
,
BSN, RN
Surgical Specialty
St. Charles Health System - Bend
Bend
,
OR
United States
While visiting family in Bend, OR, I suffered a catastrophic snowboarding accident resulting in 6 fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and a lacerated liver and kidney. After 3 days in the ICU, I was moved to the surgery/trauma floor (floor 5 of the hospital) to begin my recovery. Shortly after being moved, I met Loni, one of the RNs who regularly works on the trauma/surgery unit. I am thankful that I met her and that she was with me for so much of my ten day stay because Loni was a truly amazing nurse.
Loni's positive, but firm, attitude was a breath of fresh air during an extremely painful and difficult situation for me and my family. Each morning, Loni would take the time to greet me, check in on how I was feeling, and prepare a "plan" for the day that included things like walking, showering, sitting in a chair, and/or doing other types of activities that forced me to get out of bed and kept my mind from focusing on my injuries. Additionally, Loni never hesitated when asked to do any task, regardless of its size or significance. More water? No problem. Take out the trash? Absolutely. Get more pain meds? Without delay. Drop everything and walk with me around the floor? With pleasure. And, if her compassion, willingness to take on any task, and frequent smile weren't enough to keep my spirits up, she frequently joked with me and kept the mood light, which I greatly appreciated. Loni was a beacon of light when it came to patient care and responsiveness to my needs. And she did it even during periods of high stress (gray alerts) and short staffing, which makes her attitude and demeanor all the more impressive as none of it seemed to phase her.
Loni regularly goes above and beyond for her patients with a smile, kind heart, and impeccable attitude, which made my stay in the hospital borderline enjoyable (because, let's be honest, no one wants to be in the hospital, especially for over a week). I greatly enjoyed my numerous conversations with her and hope that she receives the recognition she deserves for putting her patients' needs above all else.
Loni's positive, but firm, attitude was a breath of fresh air during an extremely painful and difficult situation for me and my family. Each morning, Loni would take the time to greet me, check in on how I was feeling, and prepare a "plan" for the day that included things like walking, showering, sitting in a chair, and/or doing other types of activities that forced me to get out of bed and kept my mind from focusing on my injuries. Additionally, Loni never hesitated when asked to do any task, regardless of its size or significance. More water? No problem. Take out the trash? Absolutely. Get more pain meds? Without delay. Drop everything and walk with me around the floor? With pleasure. And, if her compassion, willingness to take on any task, and frequent smile weren't enough to keep my spirits up, she frequently joked with me and kept the mood light, which I greatly appreciated. Loni was a beacon of light when it came to patient care and responsiveness to my needs. And she did it even during periods of high stress (gray alerts) and short staffing, which makes her attitude and demeanor all the more impressive as none of it seemed to phase her.
Loni regularly goes above and beyond for her patients with a smile, kind heart, and impeccable attitude, which made my stay in the hospital borderline enjoyable (because, let's be honest, no one wants to be in the hospital, especially for over a week). I greatly enjoyed my numerous conversations with her and hope that she receives the recognition she deserves for putting her patients' needs above all else.