Taneka Curtis

I was recently in a store when I overheard another customer sharing the story of her lung transplant. She mentioned one of the doctors on our team and was happily talking about her experience and new lease on life. I was so proud knowing that we had such a positive impact on someone's life.

As a Nurse Manager for the Operating Rooms in the new Pavilion at Penn Medicine, there are lots of layers to my job. It all comes together for one important reason — to make sure that the operating room staff provides exceptional patient care. To provide that exceptional care we need the right (and best) staff, in the right place, at the right time with all the right equipment needed for each surgery. I am responsible for hiring, training and scheduling the staff for the operating rooms I manage. I start work very early each morning to ensure that everything is ready for the day ahead and that the surgeons have the equipment and people they need.

I'm very selective about who is assigned to the operating rooms for each transplant. Every patient is unique and some surgeries are more complicated than others. I'm here to advocate for patients by putting all the right people and things in place to ensure their safety during their transplant surgery.

On top of training the staff on their job responsibilities and our regulatory requirements, I also remind them of the importance of compassion in what we do. Some patients arrive and they're excited to be finally at their transplant date, others are nervous, and some are very scared. I remind our staff to be welcoming, help ease fears and provide reassurance whenever possible. That's where the "smeyes" come in — we try to show our patients smiling eyes. Even before the pandemic, our faces were covered by masks. We convey a smile and warmth with our eyes.

It brings me great joy and pride to meet the challenges of our patients, especially those that may not have been able to find help at another hospital because of the complexity of their conditions. Our team is incredible and we are successful not just because of our skill and experience, but also because we give our all to every patient, every day. I've been a nurse for 20 years and 7 of those as a manager — I am so grateful to work alongside this team and do this job.