It’s all about the patient for Chelsie Weidaman, R.T.(R)(N), a technologist in Regional West’s Nuclear Medicine Department.

Weidaman’s commitment to compassion for her patients, cooperation with co-workers, and dedication to excellence in her job made her the 2020 Regional West recipient of The Caring Kind award, presented annually by the Nebraska Hospital Association.

After beginning her radiology career in X-ray, working in diagnostic imaging, Weidaman chose to go back to school to add nuclear medicine to her resume. She said she loves that nuclear medicine provides the ability to see in-depth how the body’s organs function, and the exam process allows her to develop a relationship with her patients.

“We get to spend a little bit more time with our patients,” Weidaman said. “In nuclear medicine, depending on the exam, we get to spend quite a bit of time with them.”

Over that time, Weidaman said listening to and supporting each patient is key. Doing so, she said, goes a long way toward helping a patient remain calm and easing their stress. By getting to know her patients, Weidaman can determine whether they just need someone to listen or if she can use some humor to lighten the mood.

“If you can laugh with a patient, make them feel like you’re here to help, and you’re a team together, it really helps,” she said.

Weidaman said she can honestly say that she loves her job, and it’s important to her to be able to say that every day.

“My dad taught me a long time ago that if you love your job, you don’t work a day in your life,” she said. “It’s very true. When you wake up and you’re excited to go to work, it’s nice. It’s nice at the end of the day when your patients walk out and say, ‘Thank you so much for your help,’ and, ‘You were so kind.’ It makes you feel good. I like to help people.”

A desire to help people, Weidaman said, is found in nearly every healthcare professional.

“I feel like, honestly, anyone who works in the medical field loves to help people,” she said. “That’s not just in radiology; that’s nurses, doctors, CNAs, everybody. I think it’s a personal gratification of helping others, a selflessness.”