 Provided by Clinician 1
The ravages of Hurricane Irene have taken their toll on many areas...some yet to determine the wrath of “Mother Nature,” as it were.
In my suburban northeast area, we are lucky. We are not a town that is bordering the merciless ocean waves. We merely have rivers and streams that may flood their banks...damage that may be vast enough for local houses, thank you. My own office had about four inches of water in the basement, and our internet is “down,” meaning we cannot access our EMR, thus necessitating the closing of our office tomorrow...on a busy Monday, no less. We will all be there, doing what we can to salvage things that are stored on “ground level.” Fortunately, our patient “paper” records are held on shelves at least two feet off the ground...but it will be a mess, I’m sure.
Every time a patient marvels at the wonders of e-scripts, or at how the computer system works, I will say, “yes, it’s great...when it works.” A sort of mantra, if you will, warding off the evil spirits of the storms and things that may come and prevent our EMR system from working to full capacity. Such as Hurricane Irene. Then...these are the days when I long for paper charts only.
They aren’t very long...these moments of wishing for the past. Surely, computers have made my life easier for the most part. It only takes a few moments to look up labs for a patient who had them done for a specialist...when we did not get a copy...or to review discharge orders from another physician. Overall, it makes continuity-of-care easier.
I feel badly for those who have had significant damage to their homes...or those who have been injured while staying “put,” protecting their “turf.” Our mere “inconvenience” at not seeing patients for a day...at having to call on a weekend to re-schedule people...is but a pittance compared to those with significant destruction from this natural disaster. I hope and pray that they can salvage what is important...and move on to the next day...intact.
As I watched this weather saga unfold, I could not help but be reminded about the changes in the healthcare horizon as well.
We are thrust, sometimes without warning, into chaos...from all sides. “Organized” medicine has those who disparage us. Others in our own ranks disagree with our own viewpoints. (Not that discourse is a bad thing...far from it. I feel that sometimes, a good argument has merits...so long as everyone “fights fairly.") Insurances want to pay us less for our services...at the same time that research points to our outcomes as good as or BETTER than our physician peers. Then you have the “to DNP or not DNP” arguments from nursing. Or the battle of the names in physician “associate” vs. “assistant” (I throw in my vote for associate any time).
Really...perhaps the storms are just beginning. Maybe that’s actually a GOOD thing. As long as there is rational, polite discourse, I’ll take it.
This evening...the sun is peeking out, and the clouds have passed. The air is crisp and beckons a new beginning. I stepped outside and am taking solace that, tomorrow...is again, a new day.
Kim Spering is a family nurse practitioner who currently works at Brndjar Medical Associates, P.C., a family practice in Emmaus, PA. Her past experience includes the fields of medical/surgical ICU, open heart/trauma ICU, labor and delivery, nursing education, nursing supervision, and as a nurse practitioner in both family practice and OB/GYN settings. She currently serves as a NP preceptor for her graduate school alma mater, DeSales University, as well as for local baccalaureate programs. She is passionate about patient education and helping patients understand that they are ultimately responsible for their own health. She also firmly believes that the public needs to be educated on the value of NPs and PAs in meeting the health care needs of the next decade and beyond. In her free time, Kim enjoys family vacations with her optometrist husband, Mark, and her two sons, Matthew and Connor.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE
You must be logged in
to recommend articles
|
