2025

CHA Healthcare Hero

Description provided by Bristol Health

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Carrie Barganier

Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT)

Bristol Health

Carrie Barganier exemplifies exceptional care, dedication, and work ethic in every aspect of her role. Her commitment to patients and colleagues goes beyond expectations, making her a truly remarkable employee.

Compassionate Patient Care:

  • When a patient experienced a panic attack while awaiting a nuclear scan, Carrie immediately provided comfort, guided breathing exercises, and helped the patient remain calm enough to complete the test.
  • She de-escalated a difficult situation when a hearing-impaired patient arrived for a Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) without an interpreter. Carrie rescheduled the appointment and ensured interpreter services were coordinated, leaving the patient feeling heard and supported.
  • When a patient was left waiting for their Health Aid after a vascular study, Carrie stayed by their side, offering reassurance for 45 minutes—sacrificing her own lunch break to ensure the patient felt safe and cared for.
  • Always alert and proactive, Carrie recognized the need for additional support during a stress test and stepped in without hesitation to ensure patient safety.

Dedication to Team and Department Growth:

  • As a key leader in the PFT Lab renovation, Carrie even brought her own tools from home to assemble new furniture, demonstrating her investment in improving the workspace.
  • She played an instrumental role in selecting a new PFT machine, collaborating with physicians and manufacturers to troubleshoot issues effectively.
  • Carrie has trained four Per Diem staff on the new PFT machine, ensuring smooth operations. During a colleague’s leave of absence, she worked extra shifts and trained new staff to keep the PFT Lab fully operational.
  • When needed, she has floated to the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab department, stepping in seamlessly to assist with patient care.
  • She created a Pulmonary Rehab Education Handbook and has led educational classes for pulmonary patients.

Exceptional Initiative and Work Ethic:

  • Carrie went above and beyond to schedule a PFT exam for a deaf patient, ensuring proper interpreter services and personally overseeing the process to provide comfort and ease.
  • She worked closely with Dr. Parikh and fellow technologists to improve lung volume variances in the PFT Lab and conducted a one-hour in-service training for staff on proper technique.
  • Her collaboration with Lam Nguyen has been crucial in testing interfaces for Meditech in both the Stress Lab (ST80i) and the PFT Lab.

Carrie is the ultimate team player, embodying patience, positivity, and an extraordinary work ethic. She consistently steps up, takes initiative, and makes multitasking look effortless. Words like hardworking, dedicated, and compassionate only begin to describe her impact.

For all these reasons and more, I wholeheartedly nominate Carrie Barganier for this distinguished award. She exceeds expectations every day and is truly an invaluable asset to our team.

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