She considers the elevator as her breakroom.
That may make you laugh, but Nursing Supervisor Pat Tschetter has spent a lot of time in elevators during her 29 years at Campbell County Health. And that's not even counting the four years she worked as a night supervisor at the old Campbell County Health from 1973-1977. Pat is retiring in February after working as a nurse for 46 years, 34 of those years spent in Gillette, Wyoming.
She earned her nursing diploma at the age of 20 and has worked in the emergency department,
critical care,
medical surgical unit,
maternal child and
behavioral health.
As a nursing supervisor, also called a house supervisor, Pat supports her peers and is a consummate problem solver. During a single shift she may arrange for patient transportation to another facility, help discharge a patient, assign patients admitted from the emergency department to the hospitalist on duty, help visitors find their way and get supplies from Materials Management. She recently arranged for a family member to drive their vehicle into the ambulance bay so the patient wouldn't have to brave the cold and wind to go home.
Pat has always enjoyed the opportunity to work with new nurses, like teaching them to call the doctor even when they knew the doctor may be grouchy. She also believes that it's not possible to know everything about your job, that you should rely on your resources and always be willing to learn from others.
The biggest change she's seen over the years is that nursing has become much more specialized. The days where nurses worked in a different area each day, or even performed duties now done by other professionals like respiratory therapists or pharmacy techs are long gone. Pat is proud to have passed on her love of nursing to her daughter Rebecca Koss, who works in the Dialysis Center at CCH.
After she retires, Pat is looking forward to babysitting her eight-month old granddaughter, going fishing with her grandsons and taking care of her mom. She also has some bucket list trips planned to New Zealand, fishing in Alaska and taking her grandchildren to Disney World.
Thanks Pat, for everything you've done for our patients and our community.
