Today's Healthcare Heroes | Becky Nimm, RN Surgery

What is your position/department?

I work as an RN Circulator in Surgery.

What does a typical day look like in your position?

My role varies day to day depending on the department’s needs.  Most days I am an RN circulator. There are many things I could talk about to describe this position, but I will touch on what I feel the most important parts are.

The biggest priority is making sure the patient feels safe and comfortable prior to their procedure.  Often times patients are anxious and afraid because they’ve never had surgery and don’t know what to expect. They are scared because they will be asleep and vulnerable and some of them even have worries that they won’t wake up. or are scared of the pain they may have afterward. It is our job as an RN circulator to develop trust and rapport with the patient, to reassure them that they will be taken care of from start to finish, and let them know that our staff is the best around and will give them the best care.\

Secondly, our role as an RN circulator is to provide the last safety check before taking the patient back for a surgical procedure. We ensure everything is completed such as the pre-procedure checklist, the consents are signed/timed/witnessed/dated as well as making sure all of the patient and family’s questions are addressed. It is also our job to ensure the patients are safe during the procedure by positioning patients properly. Some procedures last for hours so if they are positioned incorrectly it could potentially cause problems later in life.

When I'm not circulating cases, I could also be recovering patients in the PACU area, ensuring they don’t have any distressing symptoms before bringing them back to other departments.  I also scrub into surgeries and assist surgeons by holding instruments/retractors, I assist in OB procedures manipulating uteruses, I also know how to tech endo cases and provide assistance with processing the endoscopes after.

How long have you been at Watertown Regional Medical Center? Have you always been in the same position?
I started working at Watertown Regional Medical Center in January 2018 and have worked in my current position the entire time.

What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare?
After teaching art to grades K-8 for five years, I went back to school to learn how to be a CNA as teaching was a part time position for me. After getting my CNA license and spending a few years working in the field, I found out taking care of others was extremely rewarding to me. I decided to further my education and went back to school to be an RN.

What’s new in your department? Are there any new technologies being utilized?
We have the robot!!! Although its not brand new anymore, its still very exciting. We’ve been doing a lot of robotic assisted hernia repairs and a lot of total hysterectomies using the robot. It was a great opportunity to further my education and get to learn something new. It's important to remember when considering robotic surgery that the surgeon is in control the entire time, the robot is just there to extend their reach/vision.

Why do you believe patients can Count on Watertown Regional Medical Center for safe and quality care?
The people that work at Watertown Regional Medical Center really care about delivering outstanding care to our community. Most of our staff live here and want our community to stay healthy and well. This passion shines through when looking at our quality and safety scores like the CMS five-star and the LeapFrog grade "A".

What do you enjoy most about working at Watertown Regional Medical Center?
My co-workers and how all of us work together as a team, taking care of the our community. I also like that every day is different and exciting, you never know who you will get to meet and what type of case you might get to help with.

What are some of your interests outside of work? What is your favorite local gem in the Watertown area?
I enjoy DIY projects, home renovating, arts and crafts, gardening, hiking, exercising, walking our dogs, spending time with my family, especially my 16 year old daughter. I really LOVE Latte Donatte, the local coffee shop on Main St. When I go through the drive-thru, the gals working know my drink!