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Nurse of the Year going to Disney by Heather Woolwine Public Relations A hush fell across the room as the last unit winner honored during the annual Nurse’s Week celebration received her certificate and returned to her seat. The announcement of the MUSC Nurse of the Year was next on the program.   Registered nurse Rob Rodrigues, center, helps load a patient into a waiting ambulance. Rodrigues is MUSC Nurse of the Year. Every nurse at MUSC is special, and the Nurse of the Year award and unit winners’ ceremony is just one more way to highlight the unique talents of individual nurses that comprise nursing excellence as a whole at MUSC. When Robert Rodrigues’ name was announced, the crowd applauded for several minutes with shouts of “Way to go, Rob!” and murmurs of “That’s perfect!” or “He so deserves it,” echoing throughout the packed Storm Eye Institute Auditorium.   Rodrigues, R.N., Critical Care and Emergency Services (1West), has been a part of the Adult ED team since 2001. “For me, this is probably the highest honor I could receive, because I was picked by my peers and colleagues to receive this award,” he said. “To know that I’m the recipient of that much admira-tion and respect is just so meaningful; it’s really amazing. Ellen (Ruja, R.N., 1West nurse manager) and I have worked together for six years, and while I was a pretty good clinician when we met, I had a lot to learn about leadership. Since becoming a charge nurse, I realize that I still have a lot to learn, but I have so much respect for her mentorship and friendship and how much it has helped me.”   During the ceremony Rodrigues also gave thanks to his wife, Emily, and their three children for their unending support, publicly declaring his admiration for the lady in his life who is “on-call, 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week” for their  family.  As part of Rodrigues' prize pack, he and his family will receive a travel voucher worth $2,000 for the family to visit Disney World, which will be their first visit together.   Rodrigues said that his nursing philosophy is simple: apply the Golden Rule by doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. “For every patient that comes in here, I treat them like they are my sister, mother, wife, or child. You don’t know what’s going to come through that door [in emergency services], but I think we have the easiest and best job, because they show up, they need help, and we take care of them,” he said.   Ruja said that Rodrigues’ win serves as a great way to validate all of those who work in the ED, and that his various recognitions throughout the last two years have helped shine the spotlight on a department that often works very hard with few words of praise. “He’s the first male Nurse of the Year, was the first male to win the DAISY award, received a Palmetto Gold award last year, and was just accepted as one of six nurses for MUSC’s clinical nurse scholars program,” she added. “The impact he has had on our department and patients is exceptional.”     Friday, May 11, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.