I want to thank Helen for being so courageous to share her son’s story over and over again. As a nurse who is often the charge nurse on a Medical Oncology unit – I strongly believe that patient placement plays a major role in safe patient care. If I believe that a patient is inappropriate for the Medical Oncology unit during day shift or night shift, I will do the following: 1. call the team (intern, resident and/or attending) that is covering the patient to discuss my concerns, 2. talk with our management and the patient placement coordinator, and 3. call the resource nurse to oversee the status of the patient and make a plan. On nights and weekends, the Clinical Administrator (CA) acts as the manager of the entire hospital. I will discuss my concerns with the CA in order to escalate the transfer level of care properly.
Also, I do my best to thank my patients and their family members when I see them advocating for themselves. This morning, we saw Helen be the best advocate for her son. She did not give up. She was resilient. And she is still resilient, and paying it forward in the health care system today. Thank you Helen.
It is our job to advocate for our patients and their families. I do my best to involve our Patient Advocate as soon as I know a patient would benefit from their services. The patient advocate helps provide open and honest communication between the healthcare provider and the patient. And the Patient Advocate follows the patient (and family) through out the patients entire hospital admission. I am thankful for our patient advocates at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital!
I am looking forward to the second day at Telluride/Breckenridge!