EDUCATING HEALERS
Tell us about a positive experience with a patient . In February and March of 2020 , I had a patient on our unit who was with us for a little over a month , which is unusual on an acute medical-surgical floor . She was fairly young and slowly dying of cirrhosis . Early in her admission , I spent my days aggressively treating and encouraging for her to be seen by palliative care . As time went on , I spent my days continuing to advocate for her comfort . As our team watched her decline each day , it became clear that she would not likely make it out of the hospital . My last shift with her was a rare sunny , warm day in March and I decided that if she were up for it , I would wheel her outside for fresh air one last time . I ordered her favorite food , pizza , from the cafeteria and set up a picnic outside . We had lunch together and had a visit from pet therapy as she was an animal lover . She passed away two days later , and it will always bring me comfort to know that she got to have those few moments of sun on her skin and enjoying her favorite food one last time . In these times of comfort that appear through the darkness I am grateful beyond words to be in this profession .
Health Care Heroes : Steven Katz
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and set up a clinic , keeping in mind that the youth are in school five days per week .
Some of the issues include altercations between youth , youth not wanting to be in school and legitimate issues . Nurses are educated on gangs and someone from the adult corrections group does seminars . A large part of what we do is mental health . Over twenty-six years , in the last decade , we ’ ve seen an increase in the acuity of mental health needs of youth . A large part of the day includes communicating with physicians , other nurses , teachers , other aspects of DCYF placements and reports and families .
Second shift nursing focuses on intakes . The influx of youth has increased tremendously . During COVID , there was quite the lull , even down to the teens in numbers . Now , we ’ re at a forty- to fifty-person capacity . During the end of evening pass , medication is more intense due to sleep meds and types of meds .
Health Care Heroes : Claire Haynes
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obtaining my nursing degree with the desire to provide compassionate care for people in their greatest time of need . As I embarked on my new career , I had limited knowledge of nursing in a community health setting . Stumbling upon an advertisement for a nursing position at Thundermist would turn out to be the next unexpected turn my life would take . After my interview , I immediately knew Thundermist was where I needed to be . It has been an honor and opportunity to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our community in my twelve years here . Building rapport with patients and having them trust in you to have their best interests in mind is tremendously rewarding . I would encourage any nursing graduate to consider a career in community health .
What is the best part of your role ? I began my career in community health as
EDUCATING HEALERS
SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES
ANA-RI CONGRATULATES AND RECOGNIZES ALL THE HONOREES .
NURSING-HEALTH-SCIENCES . PROVIDENCE . EDU
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82 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l SEPTEMBER 2023