nurse profile leader program here at UAB. Becoming involved in quality improvement processes was when I found my niche. I’ m interested in changing processes that affect patients at the bedside and improve outcomes, but also affect work processes for me and my staff. The unique position about my role is that I’ m still a bedside nurse first and foremost. When I have patients to care for, that’ s my passion. That’ s what drives me and reminds me why I do what I do.
UAB CCC: What is your favorite part of your job?
LL: Being able to touch a life. I’ m humbled every day I come in. It’ s the patient care. It’ s working with these families. If I can make their stay this much better, it’ s not a bad day. It’ s a great day.
You can be mentally and physically exhausted where you feel you don’ t have anything left. But at the end of the day, I go home knowing I did everything I could – that I got to touch someone’ s life and hopefully improve their life.
My favorite part of my job is knowing that my heart and soul has gone into my patients’ situations and my interactions with them. My patients change my life. They affect me probably more so than I do them sometimes. The relationships we develop are truly inspiring. They keep me motivated and remind me of why I’ m here and do what I do every day.
UAB CCC: What sets UAB apart?
LL: It’ s a complete team atmosphere. It’ s an interdisciplinary atmosphere. I have the unique opportunity to pull all of these people together and meet at the patient’ s bedside to show them we’ re on the same page and giving them the best care. To see these physicians sit down at the foot of a patient’ s bed and have an actual conversation, that’ s amazing.
And it doesn’ t happen everywhere. That’ s not taught. That’ s truly a culture.
Being at an academic medical center demands excellence. And when you’ re talking about someone’ s life, that’ s what I want too. If you know with 110 percent that you’ re getting the very best care possible, it allows you to know that you can make your care decisions with confidence. It’ s very humbling to realize that I’ m included in that.
Ultimately, everything affects the patient. It’ s not about you. It’ s about them. Anything we can do to better that situation is the only reason we’ re here. It’ s not about what kind of nurse you are, because it doesn’ t matter what kind of nurse you are. I’ m a nurse. I can do it all. It matters how you take care of patients, each and every time. They need us in every aspect, and it’ s how we deliver care to that patient that matters. That’ s what makes UAB different.
UAB CCC: What has nursing taught you?
LL: My nursing journey has been way more than I ever expected it to be. It’ s constantly surprising, and in a really good way. It’ s constantly a wow factor. For as much as I hope to touch a life, they touch me. The want and desire to continue to pour that back into patients is amazing. I’ m beside myself, both with the patients and the staff.
Most jobs are rewarding in different ways, but you can’ t be – or shouldn’ t be – in nursing if you don’ t love what you do. I don’ t know that I could be doing anything else. Bad days just aren’ t bad. They’ re not bad when you know that patients are better because of the work you put in. That’ s rewarding.
Every day is a journey. You never know what you’ re going to get, and you never know who you’ re going to meet. Getting to see the sickest of the sick get better and go home, or getting to be part of that time where the acceptance is there, you can’ t put into words what that’ s like. It’ s part of your everyday job, and that’ s amazing.
“ Ultimately, everything affects the patient. It’ s not about you. It’ s about them. Anything we can do to better that situation is the only reason we’ re here.”
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