UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Magazine Fall 2016 | Page 23

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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