Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC

This isn’t the typical the Real Nurse Jackie blog post, but I can’t help but comment on the incredible dedication of our facility staff during Hurricane Dorian. 

Now while my experience is solely with my company, Mission Health Communities, which took in more displaced residents than I can count earlier this month, I am sure this dedication was repeated throughout the areas threatened or hit. 

Think about all the coordination it takes to transport frail and vulnerable adults from one geographical area to another. Not easy. And some of our buildings literally got a bus full of residents with nothing but a paper bag of medications and a set of clothes. And in those instances, the nurses still managed to find the information they needed to complete a nursing admission assessment, get a new primary care practitioner to approve an order set, and truly care for that temporary resident. 

I know I wear my heart on my sleeve, but it brought tears to my eyes. Nurses working incredible hours, not complaining and making these evacuees feel secure. Because nurses know: These are people, not tasks, and the people being moved are most likely scared about what the future brings. They just needed someone to love them, care for them, and have someone else worry about the details.

Sure, when these disasters happen there is always negative press. Someone somewhere wasn’t perfect and the mainstream media love to create mountains out of molehills for pure drama’s sake (“News at 11:00!”).

But gosh darn it, please praise our dedicated staff. They are amazing, and we shouldn’t be waiting for someone else to give them their due — remember that we always can.

Just keeping it real,

Nurse Jackie

The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC, Senior Director of Clinical Innovation and Education for Mission Health Communities, LLC and an APEX Award of Excellence winner for Blog Writing. Vance is a real-life long-term care nurse. A nationally respected nurse educator and past national LTC Nurse Administrator of the Year, she also is an accomplished stand-up comedienne. The opinions supplied here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer or her professional affiliates.