Veterans Affairs Nurse What a blessing it is to have the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA) providing multiple healthcare services to our heroes, our veterans! To be afforded the opportunity for our heroes to attend and be treated, at little to no cost, for a wide range of ailments from the common cold, to a mental health disability, or for the possibility of a healing surgery is a well-deserved and a wonderful privilege. One of the major demographics of care providers within the VHA is the registered nurse. There are over 51,000 registered nurses nationwide, with 60.7% of the total population of providers of healthcare, within the VA hospitals, VA outpatient clinics and VA Patient Care Medical Homes (VHA, Office of Nursing Services, 2012). Overview of Roles and Responsibilities VA nursing provides veterans’ healthcare across a gamut of services for acute and chronic illnesses in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and skilled nursing …show more content…
VA nurses assess, provides nursing diagnoses, plans, implements, and evaluates (ADPIE) care based on maturational focused components. Undertakes accountability for the management of care concentrated on the patient’s process through the range of care, patient and family education, patient self-management, and accompanying circumstances that influence the patient’s satisfaction. The VA nurse considers all attributes of the individual, including age and stages of life, presence of health, race and culture, values, and prior experiences. Administers medications and procedures per policies and procedures. The VA nurse effects patient care outcomes by collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team. Core fundamentals of performance include know-how and participation in the units’ program level quality improvement processes and initiatives as well as client service
Management of Care Case Study Josepha is working on a medical surgical unit with three other RNs and one LPN. There is also a male and a female patient care tech. Josepha has been a nurse for four months, and after completing two months of orientation she takes a full assignment as a registered nurse. Josepha feels that the assignments she receives are not always fair, as she tends to get the most challenging clients.
Hi Jacque, I just wanted to respond to your question in regards to the facility that I am currently in. The nurse role is different in this setting because it appears that she has the majority of the responsibility because most of the staff work under her license, she is responsible for all of the education and delegation of tasks to staff such as insulin, medication administration, blood glucose checks, ect.. This is different from the hospital setting because she is responsible for not only the residents nursing care and coordination of care between outside facilities but also education and delegation to staff as well. I found an interesting journal article related to Nurses and assisted living facilities that discusses in depth the nurse
Roles of the Professional Nurse The role of the professional nurse in today's healthcare setting continues to expand as our healthcare delivery system in the United States changes. Historically, nurses have delivered care in a system that has been "illness" centered. Increases in knowledge of disease, coupled with a desire to decrease the costs of delivering health care have shifted the U.S. model of care to one of prevention (IOM, 2010, p. 1-1). The professional nurse continues to have eight interrelated roles in caring for their patients.
Moreover, several studies have been conducted to examine the effects of low nurse staffing on patients hospitalization experiences, as well as its effect on nurse careers in the long run. A recent study by Frith, Anderson, Tseng, and Fong (2012) to explore the relationship between nurse staffing and medication errors, demonstrated that medication errors were higher in a cardiac care unit and non-cardiac care unit when staffing levels were lower. In addition, Frith et al. (2012) pointed out that medication errors increase by 18% for every 20% decrease in nurse staffing below the average due to failure to follow medication administration protocol As mentioned earlier, nurses perform the last and the most important step of medication administration. Thus, having adequate time to assess each patient efficiently and following the medication rights is critical to provide safe patient care and prevent errors.
They coordinate the maintenance of clinical skills and joins in activities that contribute to the ongoing development of self and other healthcare professionals. This vital role focuses around the patient's' physical and psychosocial assessment, care coordination, education and support, from coordinating the patient's diagnostic work-up tests to assisting them to navigate the hospital system, and referring them to allied health professionals. The role of a nurse as a patient advocate is an important one. The main purpose of this role is to respect patient decisions and boost patient autonomy.
.15 Registered Nurse: pre-screening for vaccines and responsible for oversight of healthcare workers. This position is also responsible for procedures, testing, works collaboratively with physicians and multidisciplinary team members. The R.N. promotes and restores patient’s health as they prescribe, provide, delegate, evaluate and coordinate comprehensive professional nursing care.
The feeling of being able to alleviate the suffering of an acutely ill patient is at once incredibly satisfying and immensely humbling. I am constantly in awe of the fact that by coming to work everyday, I have the privilege of helping others who cannot care for themselves. During my time in my Clinical Care Extender Internship, I developed a special interest in caring for the geriatric population and have had the opportunity of serving as a personal caregiver to an elderly woman with dementia. I do not take the trust and confidence that my patient places in me lightly and work hard to advocate and provide for her safety because she deserves no less. Thus, in the interest of patient advocacy, as a nurse in your facility, I will seek to improve the practices that will keep my patients safe and promote their healing.
Each morning patients came in for assessment and the treatment team developed or altered existing treatment protocols. I longed to be part of this team, working to stabilize each patient so they could return home to pursue their goals. The nurses stood out to me as the team members at ground zero in the unit, working directly with patients, and advocating for them in meetings. As a Nurse Practitioner, I will provide this same standard of holistic care to my patients, taking into consideration their biological, social, psychological and cultural needs while developing and implementing treatment decisions.
I am passionate about advocacy. As a nurse and officer, I must often advocate for my patients and the soldiers who serve under my leadership because I recognize keeping them at the center will improve overall outcomes, satisfaction and morale. Despite the challenges and push back I may encounter as an advocate, it is my responsibility to the patient and soldier. The competencies acquired with this specialty will mature my advocacy. Additionally, I will be
The Affordable Care Act has shifted focus on health and wellness of patient populations urging hospitals to do a community needs assessment and come up with a strategy to address these needs. Hospitals most often partner with community and professional organizations to address the health need (Stempniak, 2014). This is an example of how the four spheres are all interrelated. Nurses are at the heart of this movement, providing the necessary skills, experience and expertise to address the needs of the population being served (Shamian,
The personal care that I am able to give to a resident is rewarding. Knowing you have helped someone is a grand thing. As a registered nurse it appears that most of the time is spent charting medical records, dealing with way too many headaches, and passing medication. Sarah has worked in other medical settings prior to coming to a care facility and stated that so much burden and liability is placed on nurses especially in hospitals. Sarah’s positive attitude kept me inspired throughout my observations to continue my education in the medical field, although, I am now strongly considering different career
They make up the biggest health care occupation in the United States. Nursing job duties include communicating between patients and doctors, caring for patients, administering medicine and supervising nurses ' aides”(study).
Nurses are critical for promoting health in the society. The profession is highly flexible, since they specialize in diverse operations in the medical field. Registered nurses, for instance, are responsible for the administration of medicine and inoculations to patients (American Nurses ' Association, 2000). Additionally, these professionals observe, record, and enlighten doctors of any changes in a patient’s health. Nurses interpret and evaluate diagnostic examinations to determine an individual’s condition, as well as making the necessary adjustments in patient treatment plans on their health progress.
Nursing assessment has a significant role in providing effective, accurate and safe nursing care in clinical practice. Nursing assessment is the first stage of the Nursing Process. It is used to explore the physical, psychological, spiritual and social aspect of the patient’s life. It is therefore a holistic and systematic guide for nurses to obtain a greater understanding of their patient’s wants and needs. It is the underlying foundation of the process, on which other phases of the process are based upon (Foster & Hawkins, 2005).
I have had the privilege to interview The Senior Chief Nurse Administrator/Health Research Analyst of the James A. Haley VA Medical Center. Dr. Jola Massengale Worked as a Registered Nurse for over twenty years, and in 2011 she earned her doctorate in Nursing Health Administration. Short after her graduation, she was promoted to Chief of Nursing Research, and two years later, she became the Senior Chief Nurse Administrator/Health Research Analyst. She was chosen for this interview because, in 2016, she was one of the key leaders to revamp the way the organization conducted their Las strategic planning process. Although the meeting was scheduled for one hour, it only lasted thirty minutes since Dr. Massengale was called away by the Hospital