Very encouraging and heartwarming!

[AnieleiLPN]

I just had to share this encouraging and heartwarming experience. I know as an office nurse sometimes we hear the ideas that "real" nurses work in the hospital. I've even heard that from one of the doctors in my office who prefers to work with CMA's. I assisted with an ingrown toenail for a very sweet diabetic. When we finished the patient and spouse both shook my hand and said "Thank you". The patient told me it was because of excellent office nurses that this patient did not end up in the hospital because we answer questions when they call and give advice when patients have problems. It's also the excellent way we assist the doctors who couldn't do the job without us. Finally the patient said "God bless you for sacrificing some pay to be in a setting that makes so much of a difference to people like me."

I about cried, but I felt so encouraged and needed to share.

[Oedgar]

That's a great story!

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

It's nice to hear how you're making a difference. Sometimes we don't realize how the little things we do everyday make that difference in our patient's lives.

[WAheartnurse]

I think that if RNs were utilized MORE in offices, pt outcomes would improve. For example, at our hospital we have a Heart Failure clinic with RNs giving education teaching pts to manage their CHF (similar to diabetic teaching). The goal is to reduce hospital readmissions (and the research backs this up).

If RNs could step BACK into the room with the patient after the doctor leaves, answer questions, reiterate the MD plan of care,I think we would see improvements. I take that EXTRA time (rare, I know) to SIT down next to the patient and educate them on avoiding UTIs, or infections, or treating fevers at home, or just ways to avoid coming to the ED.

[AnieleiLPN]

In our office the nurses scribe, we then step out of the room and have the patient stay, and while doctor reviews/finishes the note I have a chance to go back to the room to do patient education. Our doctors are very good at providing education and with our system I fill in any missing pieces. Usually that includes which medications to hold while taking a short term medication such as an antibiotic or teaching patients how to use an insulin pen. With our system it does give me a little time that my doc has scheduled into every visit just so we can provide teaching. I really love that and feel it does help provide better care and fewer return visits for things that could've been avoided (we used to have a lot of people come back with diarrhea after starting an antibiotic now we routinely address that when one is prescribed).

[joyfullpn]

Awesome story!!