Sharla Tanner joined Cardiovascular Consultants in 1994. She has been with CVC 12 years.  Sharla is Dr. Retter’s nurse. She is responsible for managing Dr. Retter’s clinics which involves actively monitoring the progress of the clinic, coordinating patient care with the support nurses assisting in the clinic and overseeing patient callbacks for Dr. Retter’s patients.  Dr. Retter and Cardiovascular Consultants are thankful for Sharla Tanner!

Best reason to work at CVC: The physicians are “human” and care for our patients like they are family members. I have respect for our physicians and I am in awe of how they can juggle the hospital, office, and their family time and still be sane. The doctors stay informed on the latest medical treatments and apply this knowledge to patient care.

Let’s face it the hours are great.  In the midst of all the seriousness, it is a relaxed atmosphere where humor with the doctors and staff is allowed and helps ease the stress in the medical field. Our supervisors are pro-family. I really love that all the staff  (physicians and employees) supports and covers for each other when we need time off to go to a kid’s game, field trip, or doctors’ appointment.  CVC doctors are supportive of the staff and our families.

Describe a typical day for you at work: It is a fast-paced working environment.  My duties alternate depending on the day.  There are days I have phone duty and process incoming calls from patients.  On clinic days, I review the charts for the patients coming in for appointments and make sure they are scheduled for the tests the physician has ordered and that all recent hospital information is in the chart.  A typical clinic day includes bringing the patient back, reviewing and recording the patient’s medication, placing the patient in and out of rooms, EKG monitoring, taking Chest X-rays, and making sure the patient gets their Echo and Nuclear testing.

What do you like about your job? It is important to me to help patients and their families care for themselves or their loved ones.  I want to provide nursing care that allows our patients to live well, live longer, and stay out of the hospital.  I also enjoy the real life stories that our patients share with us. 

What challenges you at CVC? The telephone calls to and from patients.  We are the eyes and ears for our patients and our physicians.  It is necessary for us to obtain specific information from our patient to share with the physician and then receive orders from the physician to convey to the patient.  Acquiring and communicating this information requires a lot of time and patience to satisfy the patient and the physician. 

Most fun experience at CVC:  Interacting with co-workers and their families at Christmas parties and family picnics.  This is the time where we get to know each other outside of the hustle and bustle of our working environment.

Tell us something you like to do on weekends: Sit, relax, eat out, watch movies, and go to church. My husband and I enjoy antiquing.  On rare occasions, I go shopping with my mother and sisters.