Hearing loss didn't stop this ICU nurse

The Cleveland Clinic shared this story about Marissa Pusateri, BSN, RN. 

"Marissa  was diagnosed with bilateral profound hearing loss at 9 months old. She received cochlear implants as a toddler and then embarked on several years of speech therapy and auditory training. Although she says her hearing loss was never much of an obstacle during her school years, “everything changed” when she began working in the ICU."

“Everyone has a hard time with masks, but it is even more of a challenge for someone like me,” she explains. “Masks constrict the sound of a person’s voice and obviously make it impossible to read lips. The stress was overwhelming at first, but I quickly realized that the best – and only – solution was to be open about my needs. Once I made it clear to my colleagues that they had to speak up, things instantly improved.”

"Receiving a phone call or interpreting verbal instructions from a physician – especially one with an unfamiliar accent – can be particularly difficult, she notes. She has learned to manage the sounds in the ICU — the equipment and cacophony of voices — by positioning herself in locations that give her a clear view of the room and her fellow clinicians."

"Pusateri explains that she initially had trouble hearing through the Vocera devices that the staff uses to communicate with each other. Always willing to find a solution, she discovered how to route Vocera calls through her cell phone, which is connected by Bluetooth to her hearing aids."

“That was life-changing for me,” she says.

Read more at: Nurse Overcomes Career-Limiting Disability With Openness, Ingenuity

Cheers!

Donna

 

ICE at Healthcare Facilities: What Should You Do

 The law firm of Husch Blackwell wrote an article that includes a wealth of information for nurses and other healthcare providers.

"During the first hours of Trump’s second term, the administration rescinded these “sensitive location” protections. Given the Trump administration’s swift actions on immigration and statements made by the administration during the first few days in office, we expect ICE to be emboldened when it comes to accessing hospitals, clinics, and other health facilities to carry out their enforcement actions. ICE’s presence can be discomforting and disruptive. Although ICE agents are not police officers, their uniforms may say “Police” or “Federal Agent,” and they may even be accompanied by local law enforcement."

"While it is prudent for healthcare organizations to not be seen as uncooperative with law enforcement, they must be mindful that ICE and other law enforcement must still go through a judicial process to access a patient or their PHI, and there is no affirmative legal obligation to collect or report information about a patient’s immigration status just as there is no legal obligation to report on a patient’s drug use. Healthcare organizations should balance respecting the confidentiality of undocumented immigrants as if they were any other patient with maintaining a good rapport with ICE."

1. Make a plan and practice it

2. Limit cooperation without a warrant

3. Maintain patient privacy

4. Create private areas

5. Document everything

6. Reassure patients

7. Stay calm and professional

To read more from this article visit:

ICE at Healthcare Facilities: What Should You Do | Husch Blackwell

Stay safe,

Donna

Emmy Nix, RN shares her journey with an ostomy and liver disease with her patients

 

Emmy Nix, "a graduate of Greenfield Central High School,  went on to earn her degree from Chamberlain University College of Nursing in December 2019."

“I first worked bedside with surgical patients but from the time I walked across that stage to get my nursing degree, my heart was with ostomy/GI patients,” said Nix. She is working on her wound and ostomy licensure and in August began working with IU Health wound ostomy patients."

“I’m a huge advocate and have lots of patients keep in touch with me. I’m an open book and tell patients they can ask me anything,” said Nix. She’s a big proponent of helping alleviate the stigma that comes with ostomies."

Read more about Emmy's story at:

Nurse: ‘Ask me Anything About an Ostomy Pouch, Liver Health’ | IU Health

Cheers!

Donna

Little but fierce, meet Maggie Chin, RN "thetinynurse"!

 

 Maggie's introduction to thetinynurse blog starts with:

"My real name is Regina but please call me Maggie! Maggie is actually a nickname I’ve had since literally the day I was born. I can tell you that fun short story later. I am 24-years-old and I am probably one of the shortest people you will virtually meet. I’m 4’9” over here, no, actually down here, and yes, I get the question, “are you tall enough to be a nurse?” from time to time. I just respond, “maybe not, but my license qualifies me to be one!” Patients really get a kick out of that. I grew up in a Filipino household with very Asian parents. I know, I know, following that Filipino stereotype, but what can you do? It’s a great career! I am an avid Target goer, my favorite color is yellow, I am mom to a 16 year old weenie dog, and a coffee enthusiast!"

"My journey to becoming an RN was not an easy one, 'cause girl, that shit was hard. I graduated from California State University, Long Beach in 2019 and started my new grad career at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am a cardiac nurse, which I never thought I would be, but that’s another story for later. I have been an RN for 3 years now, and although I still have much to learn, come with me on my journey as I grow as a nurse and become the best version of myself. Everyone’s experience is different, but I just want to share my story and advice and guide those seeking help and comfort."

Read more of Maggie's blog at: thetinynurse.

Cheers!

Donna

Nurse with sickle cell disease joins clinical trial and finds new energy

Courtney Saenz reported on the following story about Dorcus Osho, RN and Dr. Idowu (pictured above).

"Osho recalls her childhood as being limited, surrounded by her parents and teachers who would take extensive precautions to prevent triggers of pain and keep her safe. She regularly visited the hospital for countless blood transfusions and for treatment of infections that routinely impacted her."

“It was soul-crushing, because I couldn’t partake in sports or run as fast as the other kids. I was told not to do anything that involved physical activity,” Osho said.

Transitioning from children’s care to adult care was difficult for Osho while attending college. She made it her goal to find a doctor who was actively researching new ways to treat sickle cell disease in patients. While working as a nurse, she cared for a man who had the same condition and he recommended Modupe Idowu, MD, a hematologist at UTHealth Houston and medical director of the UT Physicians Adult Sickle Cell Center, which provides care for patients living with sickle cell disease.

“When I transferred to Dr. Idowu at UT Physicians, it was like I saw the light again,” Osho said.

"Under Idowu’s care, Osho joined a Phase II clinical drug trial that is researching a hemoglobin S polymerization inhibitor drug called GBT021601. The next-generation inhibitor drug is intended to bind hemoglobin, an oxygen-transport protein, to help red blood cells hold on to more oxygen to keep their shape stable and prevent them from collapsing into a sickle form."

To learn more about the clinical trial visit: At the Bedside: Nurse with sickle cell disease joins clinical drug trial and finds energy she’s never had before - UTHealth Houston

Cheers!

Donna

Emily Katy discovers she is autistic at 16 years old and later becomes a nurse

 

Amazon.com states, "To the outside world, Emily looks like a typical girl, with a normal family, living an ordinary life. But inside, Emily does not feel typical, and the older she gets, the more she realises that she is different. As she finally discovers when she is 16, Emily is autistic. Girl Unmasked is the extraordinary story of how she got there - and how she very nearly didn't.

Still only 21, Emily writes with startling candour about the years leading up to her diagnosis. How books and imagination became her refuge as she sought to escape the increasing anxiety and unbearable stresses of school life; how her OCD almost destroyed her; how a system which did not understand autism let her down; and how she came so close to the edge that she and her family thought she would never survive.

In this simple but powerful memoir, we see how family and friends became her lifeline and how, post-diagnosis, Emily came to understand her authentic self and begin to turn her life around, eventually becoming a mental health nurse with a desire to help others where she herself had once been failed."

Read more at: https://amzn.to/3VBgtgA

Cheers!

Donna

Lessons from a school nurse with diabetes and limb loss

 

Lakeisha Jacobs, RN shared her story in an article for "Living with Amplitude".

"I was always an overweight child, weighing 280 pounds when I was only 11. I had respiratory problems and was not as active as I should have been. And my brother and I grew up poor in a single mother’s household, so we ate only what we could afford. That included too many carbohydrates and sugary drinks."  

"Before I reached my 12th birthday, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I can remember the doctors actually scratching their heads. Back then, it was uncommon for anyone under 40 years old to receive this diagnosis. And I was just a child! Maybe this is why they did not aggressively push me to improve my diet and get more exercise. I was such a rare case, they didn’t know what to do with me."  

"My own school nurses didn’t know what to do with me, either. Instead of teaching me about nutrition and fitness, most attempted to put me on harsh, restrictive diets. They seemed to want to punish me for my weight, rather than teach me a healthier lifestyle. I was constantly told I was too fat. These cruel words came from the mouths not only of nurses but also teachers, doctors, and especially my peers. Instead of steering me toward better choices, their criticism just made me feel lonely, which pushed me toward the wrong foods for comfort."  

Read more of Lakeisha Jacobs' story at:

https://livingwithamplitude.com/article/diabetes-education-limb-loss-lakeisha-jacobs/

Cheers!

Donna