Care at the Core continued
Mr . Coronel also kept Hunter ’ s parents apprised of Hunter ’ s care during his hospitalization . After the operation , he continued to look in on Hunter and help to ease his fears and embarrassment about the drainage process . Hunter left the hospital after seven days knowing he had
made a friend . “ Felipe made our stay there worthwhile ,” Mrs . Scott says . “ Even if we had a question and he didn ’ t know the answer , he ’ d call the doctor to find out .”
What Hunter perhaps did not know at the time was that nurses at Scott & White and at the Children ’ s Hospital , like Mr . Coronel , have years of training and experience under their belts . Registered nurses make up most of the nursing staff , and a growing number of them have earned advanced nursing degrees .
It ’ s clear that the practice of nursing involves much more than just delivering medications or checking blood pressure . “ It ’ s important for all nurses to have highquality clinical skills . They must also have compassion and critical thinking skills ,” says Annilyn Donnell , RN , a perioperative and obstetric nurse , and an associate chief nursing officer at Scott & White Healthcare . Terry Long , RN , MSN , vice president of quality at Scott & White ,
“ As hospital stays get shorter and shorter and the complexity of the care gets higher and higher , the role of nurses becomes more important .”
— Ellen Hansen , RN
agrees : “ Clinical skills and compassion are what really matter to our patients .” Nurses are sympathetic , too , as they consider the sense of isolation patients feel , being in the unfamiliar setting of a hospital , away from home , separated from their personal belongings and sometimes even from their means of communication . “ A caring heart , a smile , and having a human touch are important elements of what it means to be a nurse ,” says John Paul Whigan , RN , a medical-surgical , inpatient psychiatry , and wound and ostomy care nurse , and an associate chief nursing officer at Scott & White Healthcare . “ It takes a special person to become a nurse , because these qualities can ’ t be taught .”
“ Someone is always available for our patients . We want them to know we hear their concerns and are focused on keeping them apprised of their care process . It ’ s so important for all our patients to have a good experience while in our care ,” Mrs . Long says .
Ellen Hansen , RN , chief nursing officer at the Children ’ s Hospital at Scott & White , agrees . “ There ’ s a lot more to being a nurse than just taking vital signs , starting an IV , or working with physicians ,” she says . “ Especially when caring for children , we must anticipate their needs , whether they ’ re clinical , developmental , or emotional , and make sure they ’ re met .”
Mrs . Hansen believes communication skills are equally as important as clinical expertise in nursing . “ Assessment skills are especially important in pediatrics , because young children cannot always verbalize how they feel ,” she says . “ If you ask a threeyear-old to describe their pain , they may not have the verbal skills to adequately explain how they feel . But you can observe areas they are guarding and what positions seem to cause them discomfort . Because you use all your senses when you assess a patient , you pay attention to what you ’ re hearing , seeing , smelling , and touching .
Left to right : 2011 Top 25 Nurse Diana Torres , LVN ; Ellen Hansen , RN , chief nursing officer at the Children ’ s Hospital at Scott & White ; 2010 Top 25 Nurse Karri VanRossun , RN ; and 2010 Top 25 Nurse Simon Hernandez , RN .
6 THE CATALYST Summer / Fall 11 | www . sw . org