Mar 15, 2016
I fist met Patricia (Pat) Draper at the cardiac catheterization lab at Indian River Medical Center. She was the ARNP in charge and my mom, and later my husband at the time, had to undergo a few heart procedures. Little did I know that we would become fast friends and would help save my mom's life years later.
I wanted to have her on the show because Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a frightening diagnosis and places fear and confusion in the hearts and minds of patients and caregivers alike. Yet it does not have to. With a few simple strategies in place, CHF patients can live a long and good life and so can their caregivers.
Along the way I learned that Pat began running triathlons at 53 and was winning her age group, or coming close, pretty soon after she started training.
How does she balance a high-pressure career running the CHF clinic at the hospital and working at the cardiac cath lab? What has she learned from accepting the fears participating in triathlons and ironman competitions? What can you learn from listening? I know I learn a lot every time we get together. Not just about healthcare but also about letting go perfection and striving for "best"
Take a listen and share what stands out for you on Twitter @TheLauraSteward
Patricia ‘Pat” Draper was born in Seattle,Wash and lived in southern California until age 5 when the family moved western NY state . At the age of 16 she spent a year living in Chile as a foreign exchange student where she developed her love for nursing. She received a BSN from University of Mississippi School of Nursing with honors, and lived in Boston one year before moving to Florida o be near family.
Pat has worked at Indian River Medical Center (IRMC) since 1978, leaving briefly in 1996 to work as a Nurse Practitioner at the Doctors’ Clinic after receiving her ARNP in 1992. She returned to IRMC in 2004 with the advent of the open heart program.
Pat is a voracious reader, likes to write poetry, cook and is a competitive triathlete after having begun competing at the age of 53. You can often find her training in and around Vero Beach, Florida.