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Bob Raganyi Honored at Statewide Health
Care Employee Recognition Program
A health episode that Bob Raganyi personally experienced twenty-seven years ago became the foundation for his commitment to working in health care. He vividly remembers the nurse who took care of him when he was a patient. What he probably didn’t know at the time was that he would use that experience to teach and mentor new professionals in the field and stress to them the importance of treating their patients as if they were their own family.
Raganyi started his health career working as a respiratory therapist in a community hospital in Illinois in 1979, and has used this theory as his guide ever since as he’s cared for hundreds and hundreds of patients. He has been employed at Langlade Memorial Hospital since 1986 as the Respiratory Therapy Department Manager, and of the experience those many years ago he reflects, “she taught me commitment but most of all she taught me compassion and that’s why I love respiratory therapy and working in health care.”
Raganyi joined 68 other hospital employees from across the state that were honored at the 2007 Wisconsin Health Care Employee Pride Program recognition dinner held April 26 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
The program, sponsored by the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA), is designed to celebrate the health care workforce and recognize their “truly amazing” contributions to the health of their communities, according to Wisconsin Hospital Association President Steve Brenton.
“People who work in hospitals are among Wisconsin’s most dedicated and valuable employees. It takes special people to care for others and our communities are richer, safer, and healthier places to live because of these professionals,” Brenton added. “Whether they are on the front lines, or supporting those who deliver patient care, every health care employee helps improve the health status in the community where they live and work.”
According to Janelle Markgraf, Human Resources Director at Langlade Memorial Hospital, “Our own employees were asked to describe what led them to choose an occupation in health, and why they decided to work in a hospital. Hundreds of health care employees in Hospitals around the State submitted essays. A committee at Langlade Memorial reviewed the submissions here, and selected Bob’s submission as the winning essay, and the person from Langlade to be honored at the recognition banquet.
The recognition program is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Society of Healthcare Human Resources Administration, the Wisconsin Organization of Nurse Executives, and the Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society. Markgraf, a member of the Wisconsin Society of Healthcare Human Resources Administration, boasts that, “Bob is truly an asset to our patients and hospital family. His dedication and commitment, as well as his desire to make a difference in the lives of those he serves, makes him very deserving of the Pride Program Award”.
Bob Raganyi’s Essay Follows:
The Other Side
Before I tell you why I enjoy working in healthcare, I will share a story that will help to explain my commitment.
The night of December 23, 1980 it was very cold and snowy. I was on my way to work the night shift at a community hospital in Illinois. One of the few memories that I have of that day was waking up to loud sound of the ED sliding open. I remember the nurse that was taking care of me said, “Hey, I think I know you.” I answered him with, “Yes, I work in Respiratory.” I was hearing a loud wheezing noise and experiencing a sharp pain on my right side—that’s the last thing I remember saying to him until I was brought back to consciousness in the ICU with my breathing tube being suctioned. Suddenly I was on the other side—it turned out I had a chest tube and the wheezing noise was a collapsed lung. This experience is the foundation for my commitment to working not only in Respiratory Therapy but health care for the last 28 years. I realized how important it is as a provider to talk with your patient at all times. I knew first hand how important it is to keep them informed of what you’re going to be doing during a procedure or treatment, and when you’re all finished continue talking with them to be sure they’re okay. I cannot count the times I have seen a tear on a person’s cheek that needed to be wiped or hand that needed to be held perhaps more than ever before. These are the times that I reflect back to when I woke up in the ICU—I was so helpless. I remember the person that drove through a snowstorm to be at my bedside—we had only been on one date. Now, for almost 24 years she is still the one that holds my hand. She taught me commitment but most of all she taught me compassion and that’s why I love respiratory therapy and working in health care. I have committed myself to not only helping through my work as a therapist but also by being an advocate for the person. Whenever I get the opportunity to work with someone that is new to health care I always stress to them that the person they are treating is someone’s father, mother, cousin…always think about how you would want your family to be treated and let that be your guide.
Bob Raganyi, BS, RRT
Respiratory Care Manager
Langlade Memorial Hospital, Antigo