Tuesday, August 11, 2015

IHC Summer Internship

This internship was a great opportunity for me to jump right into the medical field. From day one, I was able to do meaningful work towards helping the medical/surgical floor improve the quality of its care. Early on in the internship my floor manager communicated to me the goals that she had developed for her respective area. She specifically wanted to work on improving the staff’s responsiveness. I was able to work with her and the charge nurses to create a plan that would help us accomplish this goal.
Rounding (going on rounds) with the nurses not only gave me an opportunity to validate them on their 8 behaviors of hourly rounding, but it also gave me an opportunity to view what a career as a nurse would look like. Previously I had never known how busy nurses are with all the patients that they attend. The ability of the nursing staff to listen and show compassion to each patient was extremely admirable given how busy they were.
My duties when rounding on patients were more of a quality control nature. In order to make the most of each round, I focused the questions that I would ask the patients on the goal we had set as a floor. The questions were oriented to help me understand how frequently the patient felt the nursing staff was visiting them and how quickly they felt the nurses would respond to their call button. The information given by the patients provided me with an opportunity to immediately address concerns either with the patient or with their nurse. It also provided opportunities for me to validate and give positive feedback to the nursing staff, as many of the patients were extremely pleased with the care provided to them.
Perhaps the most rewarding part of this internship has been the relationships that I have been able to build with both the nursing staff and the patients.  Among the nursing staff there is a feeling of comradery and family; it was an amazing experience to be apart of this. The nursing staff was always appreciative of my work and always took into consideration the feedback I gave. The positive environment among staff members contributed to the great healthcare provided on the Medical/Surgical floor.  
This internship was a valuable experience for me. It helped to understand the importance of responsive nurses. It also helped in my ability to see how crucial it is for all members of the hospital staff to work together in order to provide the best care possible. It was an amazing opportunity to participate in providing good health care for patients.
-Jon 

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