Tori Rhode, RN, is all about teamwork. So when she was recently surprised with the honor of being named RiverView’s Employee of the Month (EOM) for October, it wasn’t surprising to hear her contribute the win to a strong team. 
“When I was in nursing school, I did not want to be a med/surg nurse but didn’t know where I would fit best,’’ she shared. “So I met with Annie (Waldal) to talk about what it was like on third floor and the only thing I remember from our conversation was how she kept saying the word ‘team’. So I decided to give it a shot and see what this third-floor ‘team’ was all about. A year-and-a-half later I am so happy that I took that chance because I’ve been blessed with the best team.”
“Being a new nurse is a scary and intimidating adventure. But I work with a team that has supported me, encouraged me, pushed me, taught me, and has shaped me into the nurse that I have become. Our team on the third floor and our team as an organization is one of the reasons I love what I do. And I have worked with so many wonderful people from where I started in Radiology to working in Human Resources to finding my home on the Inpatient Unit. Because of this, I am so humbled and honored to be chosen as Employee of the Month.’’
Rhode, a Crookston native, has Bachelor’s Degrees in both Kinesiology and Nursing. She started her RiverView career four years ago working in patient access in Radiology until she decided to go back to school for nursing and went part-time in the department. She also worked in Human Resources as a temporary fill-in for a maternity leave, which led to a part-time position until she graduated from nursing school and started on the Inpatient Unit.
She and her fiancée, Andy Wagner, recently bought the home of Andy’s grandparents outside of Ada; so Tori and her cat, Emmett, recently made the move from Crookston to Ada. In her free time, Rhode likes to golf and she and Andy spend a lot of their time in the summer at racing events or preparing for events as Andy races an IMCA sportmod. She also likes to work in the garden, go to the lake, spend time with family, watch football and hockey, and often travels on her weekends off to watch her younger sister play club hockey at UMD.
Tori Rhode Named RiverView Health Employee of the Month for October
