Morris Hospital honors RN Sara Gorham as its October Fire Starter of the Month

Morris Hospital recently honored Sara Gorham as its Fire Starter of the Month for October.

Gorham, a lifelong resident of rural Morris, is a registered nurse at Morris Hospital’s 2 East nursing unit and trains most of the day staff, according to a news release from Morris Hospital.

In the release, Karie Stecken, 2 East manager, called Gorham an inspiration and a role model.

“Sara is routinely mentioned by patients during our discharge call backs as someone who provided excellent care,” Stecken said in the release. “She is so caring and always puts patients first, even doing things like surprising a patient with candy when the patient’s spirits were down. She’ll work with case management to come up with the best discharge plan to assure patients are taken care of after they leave the hospital. She sees the whole picture with the patient.”

In the release, Gorham said her grandmother, registered nurse Billee Thetard, helped inspire her career decision. Thetard spent most of her career at Morris Hospital, the release said.

“I remember going to the hospital to visit my grandma when she was working,” Gorham said in the release. “I always wanted to be a nurse, and I always pictured myself working at Morris Hospital.”

Gorham earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Illinois Sate University and joined Morris Hospital in July 2014.

In the release, Rene Joder, a physical therapist who nominated Gorham as Fire Starter of the Month, praised Gorham’s “compassion, patience, kindness, skill, and teamwork with patient and team interactions,” which is consistent even on busy day.

“Her patients consistently rave about her excellent care,” Joder said in the release. “She is always busy, moving, and communicating, all while maintaining a smile, fun sense of humor, and calm attitude. She truly seems to love her job and inspires me to do my best with patients and work as a team to provide the best overall care we can.”

Gorham said in the release she is happy to be part of the Morris Hospital team.

“I love being able to help people, whether it’s a patient, coworker or family member,” Gorham said in the release. “I enjoy teaching new employees about the unit and helping them become good nurses. All of the interactions are really special. It’s especially rewarding when I hear that I made a difference in someone’s day. It feels good being able to be there for someone when they need me.”

For more information, visit morrishospital.org.