Vicki Vaughn is a licensed practical nurse (LPN) who started working as a team, or floating, nurse in the fall of 1999. She quickly moved to work exclusively for Dr. Sarkis Chobanian and has been his nurse for more than 20 years.
She says, “I love to take care of my patients. It’s my passion. I want to help them in any way that I can to get the care they need.” But she does have a soft spot for two groups of patients.
“Crohn’s disease and hepatitis C patients need a lot of supportive care,” Vicki shares. “Dr. Chobanian has a high population of patients with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, and they’re so sick when they come to us. We now have a special dedicated nurse practitioner who manages hepatitis patients at the hepatitis clinic, but I’ve always loved taking care of those patients because they need more than medical care – lots of talking and counseling go along with it.”
She also recalls her favorite patient story when “I took a call one time about 10 years ago from the wife of someone who was experiencing pain and bleeding who wanted an appointment. I quickly felt adamant that he needed to go to the emergency room, and I had to convince them to go. They did, and in the ER, it was discovered that he had ischemic colitis, which is severe. He was admitted and had to have surgery to save his life. Every time I see him or his wife, to this very day, they thank me for pushing them to go to the ER. It’s wonderful when you get to see good results and how appreciative patients can be.”
She loves working for GIA and adds, “It’s a great company with great facilities and we have outstanding, caring doctors who put patients first.”
What does she want people to know about gastrointestinal health? “Screening. Screening. Screening. Colon cancer screening is the most important – because if caught early, colon cancer is manageable. Get screened.”
Her favorite place to be is at the ballfield watching her grandsons play baseball and spending time with her husband, kids and three grandsons. She’s also an avid reader and escapes with jigsaw puzzles.