Trevan Biddulph James Madison University Tell The World Project Trevan Biddulph James Madison University

Concept Looking at the publicity and recognition that my hospital promotes usually focuses on the skill of the medical staff or the availability of a highly technical machine, such as robotic surgery. In a recent recognition ceremony for the hospital at the US Capitol, the trauma surgeons were invited up to receive the award instead of the nurses who spent hours titrating medications, administering pain medications, monitoring respiratory status and helping the patient get out of bed to help start rehabilitation. Additionally, when looking at the hospital’s website there is a section for services that includes all the medical specialties available, but does not mention the highly trained specialty nurses.

Nursing Content on Website There is a section for nursing on the website, but it is used mainly for hiring. There is very little information on the website to let visitors or patients know the value of nursing care that is being provided. There is a good picture of an actual bedside nurse and a link for career opportunities.

Telling the world I wanted to write a blurb that to be sent to the marketing department at my hospital for them to hopefully include on the hospital’s website. My communications with the marketing team included that we should add a nursing section to services provided other than wound care. I have worked with the marketing team before on a joint replacement project and they were interested in the idea. Additionally, I sent the blub to the the shared governance committee at my hospital that publishes a quarterly nursing news so that they could put the blurb in their nursing review publication

Unmeasurable value Often, a layperson does not understand the true value of nursing except after they directly interact with nursing care do they place value on the care provided. This value, that is often invisible because healthcare economics often tend to reward highly technical skills rather than the psychological and interpersonally skills, is often what makes health care more humanistic.

Holistic care It is often the nurse who interprets what the doctors are saying and helps ensure the patient and their family understand what is happening and where to go from here. Sometimes, it is often the nurses who provide comfort and presence at the end of life that can mean the world to a patient’s loved ones.

Patient perspectives In my blurb, I wanted to include a story that was not that rare, but very impactful. The story I included was taken from a family letter that was send to the nursing management of the ICU. It helps to showcase the emotional impact nurses have on patients and their families The family also used the word “priceless” in their letter. After the story, I wrote on how this kind of care is typical of nurses.

Patient story After suffering a trauma that resulted in severe injury, a patient’s family decided to remove lift sustaining treatment to allow the patient to pass in peace. The family planned to remove the breathing tube towards the end of the nurse’s shift, who had been caring for the patient several days in a row, after a family member who lived across the country was due to arrive by plane. The planned time came and went and the family member had not arrived due to a delay at the airport and was going to arrive 2 hours after the end of the nurse’s shift. The family was very apprehensive for the nurse to leave because they had grown to trust the nurse and were worried about another nurse being there to remove the breathing tube who they were unfamiliar with. To help alleviate their concerns, the nurse decided to stay late and be there with the family during the compassionate removal of artificial life support. A few weeks after the death of their loved one, the family wrote to the hospital and told the nurse’s manager how much that decision to stay late meant to them. To them, that nurse’s selflessness and compassion helped them get through a very traumatic and difficult time. To them, the nursing care that was provided was priceless.

Typical Nursing Care This type of holistic care is what nurses are trained to deliver. Bedside nurses understand the value that are the intangible contributions to patient outcomes, such as holding a hand, offering a smile or encouragement.

Unmeasured Value These highly skilled nurses identify the healthcare needs of their patient and help plan and perform treatments that do not exist separate from the context of their patient. This type of care is often unrewarded financially and is somewhat invisible to those outside of the nurse patient dynamic, but is often needed and priceless.

What I learned The ANA states that nurses do a variety of tasks that are essential to patient care such as educating, advocating, respond to needs, coordinate care, provide surveillance and so forth (Bednarski, 2009). The way governments and policy makers value the profession of nursing is different from how nurses describe their value (Allan, Tschudin, & Horton, 2008).

Nursing reimbursement Nursing care is often part of the room rate. This focus on reimbursement through the room rate allows nursing care to be financially invisible because it ignores the true value of the professional and intangible aspects of nursing care. Direct care nurses are rarely equipped with the knowledge of how their care impacts healthcare economics.

Why this knowledge is important Direct care nurses are rarely equipped with the knowledge of how their care impacts healthcare economics. Often the nursing services of surveillance, trust, caring and simply presence are not included in financial metrics because nursing care cannot always be measured quantitatively. Speaking up about adding more value to the aspects of nursing care that is not measured is important to change the way nursing care is valued at an administrative and finacial level.