want the power to choose who’s
treating them and how. They have
questions, and they seek answers —
answers communicated in ways they
can understand. They don’t just want to
fix a problem. They want to know why
it emerged in the first place.
In this environment, providers’ focus
is shifting from acute care for a single
issue to coordinated preventive
health and wellness. Ask any health
professional today and they’ll confirm
the accelerated growth in preventive
health and wellness programs
designed to keep people out of
hospitals and help them to live longer.
“Interestingly, nursing has always
had a focus on wellness, whereas the
physician side — the medical model
— was always focused on treating
diseases,” Dr. Bergman said. “That
has changed at all levels of healthcare
now, because people demand it. They
don’t want to be sick.”
“HEALTHY” IS MORE
THAN PHYSICAL
As society turns to preventive
programs and embraces a holistic
approach to wellness, another facet
of health is rising in importance
after being effectively overlooked for
decades: mental health.
“I think sometimes it’s hard for us
in the field of mental health to see
what lies ahead knowing that we
still have this huge societal barrier to
overcome,” said Dr. Whitney George,
Associate Professor and Department
Chair within Jacksonville University's
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Program. “First we must address the
stigma of mental health.”
Dr. George is encouraged by
advancements in tele-health that
help connect professional counselors
to underserved areas. Today there
are subscription-based services
and apps that bring mental health
services to anyone, anywhere at
anytime, which is especially helpful
for people in rural areas. Clients can
speak to a counselor via phone, video
conference, or even via text.
These services also remove some
of the common barriers that keep
people from getting the help they
need. For example, some people are
not comfortable even walking into a
mental health clinic.
Dr. George acknowledges there are
limitations to these services. For
clients who seek counseling by phone,
“counselors cannot assess things like
appearance, body language and other
non-verbal [indicators] that might
help them evaluate the mental state of
their client,” said Dr. George.
IS TECHNOLOGY
HELPING OR HURTING?
Without question, technology is
expanding access to basic health
services and improving the quality
and safety of the care provided. Some
day, experts suggest that robots will
be commonplace in hospitals and
facilities for the aging population.
Robots may someday “make rounds,”
checking the vital signs of patients
and delivering medication.
However, just as there are limitations
with tele-mental health services,
Dr. Bergman believes technology
in healthcare facilities can only go
so far and should only be used to
augment human-provided care —
not replace it.
“There’s something to be said for
looking at someone and getting that
gut feeling that something isn’t quite
right. A robot would never be able
to do that,” said. Dr. Bergman. “What
we’ve told our students over the years
is, ‘don’t ever dismiss a gut feeling.’”
The cost of using new technology
is another factor healthcare
professionals must now consider
more and more as they treat
patients. Today, students in JU’s
Brooks Rehabilitation College of
Healthcare Sciences are taught to
research and understand exactly
what a patient’s insurance will cover.
Nursing students, in particular, spend
considerable time sharpening their
diagnostic skills, learning to trust and
rely on them. It’s a precious balance
between cost and patient safety, with
little room for error.
“We tell [students] they need to feel
confident in their diagnostic skills.
You can’t run an EKG on every
patient that comes in with chest pain.
Through interviews and examination,
you have to determine the likelihood
that your patient is having a heart
attack,” Dr. Bergman said.
“What we hear from our industry
partners — those who are hiring our
alumni — is that there’s something
about a JU graduate. It’s because
we know our students, and we’re
very intentional about knowing
them,” said Dr. Bergman. “Not only
do they know their discipline, but
we focus on the professional and
interpersonal aspects of the job. You
will never make it in the healthcare
field without having these soft skills.
If not, people won’t relate to you.
They won’t trust you. Part of the care
that you deliver includes having a
connection with your patient and
establishing trust. That’s the piece we
don’t overlook.”
F E AT U R E S
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