The Changing Times
I was asked before I went on vacation by a nurse leader, “How do you document change”? Webster’s defines change as, “to make different”.
My husband and I set off for Tombstone, Arizona on the morning of August 10th. There were changes all around us during the drive. The topography and the scenery changed with each passing mile. We entered El Paso on the first night and savored the dry climate. There were miles of change but I knew that I was still in Texas, a comforting thought after a 10 hour drive. After 2 days in El Paso, we drove to Tombstone. Crossing the Arizona boarder was yet another chance for me to cross into unknown territory.
Do you remember the final sigh when you reach your intended destination on vacation? Do you remember the absolute bliss of having arrived? Is there any place in the world that you have really wanted to go and finally get there? Tombstone has been on the “hit list” of places to go for many years for both my husband and I. We are both intrigued by the history of people, places and things.
Tombstone offered change, adventure and intrigue. One of the adventures I found most interesting, was a trip to Boot Hill Cemetery. There are a lot of “bad hombres” buried on the side of a hill. There are also every day people, like you and I that met their maker due to cholera, pneumonia or a fall. Of all the graves we visited, one grave marker struck me as odd, but timely for the changes that University Health System nurses were about to endure. This unfortunate person, a teamster, was killed by Apache Indians.
Changes in patient care services are present every day at University Health System. The nursing staff experiences changes in policy, technology and daily practice. These changes are often difficult to see or touch. They are subtle and inconspicuous. These changes are affecting the lives of nurses and patients for the better. The direct care givers have better communication technology through the use of Vocera. The nursing staff has access to the new Alaris intravenous infusion pumps with safeguards to assist in preventing medication errors. The nursing staff is slowly integrating our nursing theorist Helen Erickson in how they look at interventions for their patients by applying the modeling-role modeling theory. Most direct care givers have risen to the multiple occasions that have brought about the positive changes. Put on you seat belt and prepare for the next change. It is just around the corner.
