The Catalyst Issue 7 | Summer 2010 | Page 15

Debra Herzog , RN , and Michelle Hernandez , RN , check a patient ' s chart .
their status and needs . She also checks on the two patients under her direct care today . Both have been here for several weeks and are stable , and both should be discharged within a few days . One of them will be headed to a rehabilitation hospital for continued care . The other is going home .
When the doctors release patients to go home today , Ms . Hernandez will reevaluate each nurse ’ s workload . “ It ’ s important to match patients to nurses , and to make sure no one is overloaded ,” she says . “ Stress is the toughest part of this job , so I make sure the nurses take their breaks . They have to take care of themselves , too .”
The stakes are high Ms . Hernandez encourages the nurses to ask for help . “ They have to ; otherwise patient care will be compromised . The strength of the team is based on communication and working together . At the end of our shift we go home as a team just as our day started ,” she says . But in this profession some days are not good days . The stakes can be high in trauma recovery , and progress often is slow and grueling . Ms . Hernandez says that on the really tough days , she picks up the phone and calls her mom or her sister , both of whom are nurses , for support . “ And at the very end of the day , my husband is always there for me .”
As she continues her rounds of the floor , Ms . Hernandez stops by the office of the wound and ostomy care nurse . The two take a moment to discuss how they can help a patient adjust to using an ostomy bag that releases body waste . For any given trauma patient , caregivers in addition to the physicians and nurses might include a nutritionist , a respiratory therapist , a physical therapist , or an occupational therapist , among others . “ With that many people coming together for the patient , good communication is a critical aspect of providing care ,” Ms . Hernandez says .
The patient team often includes family members as well , especially for encouragement and moral support . Ms . Hernandez takes the time to listen to a family ’ s concerns , answer questions , and do what she can to ease their worries . “ A big part of our job is teaching families how to provide care when the patient goes home ,” she says . “ Sometimes it ’ s our job to tell the case manager and the doctor that we don ’ t think the family can handle providing the care .” In those cases , the patient may do best in a rehabilitation facility or with home healthcare support .
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