I know everyone believes their department is different from all others, but ours is really different. We have clinics all over town, in mobile Medical Units, and some land-based clinics. We are constantly in touch via cell phone texts and sometimes calls. Storage room for supplies is almost nonexistent.
For example, it is not unusual for a medical provider to walk up to the nurse and say, "I need to do a dressing change; what do we have to work with today?" And there might be precious little to work with depending on what sort of patients we saw the clinic before. We do not have central service restocking our carts; we have Allison.
She does all the ordering and stocking, which is done by packing up supplies in brown paper bags that get put in bins for the vans and taken out every morning. And as you can imagine, sometimes things get missed, which is why we text each other with texts like, "Used last Hep B on Van 22," or "We need table paper at the Bridge." Sometimes if it is urgent, we might send a person out to deliver supplies and sometimes we have to make do with what we have.
Not long ago, Allison experienced a life-changing illness that robbed her of her hearing. But with life ahead of her and a nursing career she loved, she bravely agreed to have a cochlear implant. It took a great deal of effort to make such an adjustment. But even with the implant, she still has limitations. Much as we medical people like to think we can fix things, the fixes never are as good as what God made. With the success of one, she went for the second one. When she concentrates and is facing someone, she can hear very well. But if you are standing behind her, it can be difficult for her to hear you.
When it comes to knowing where things are, whether in the case of supplies or even on the computer or in Epic, she is the pro. I can't tell you how many times Allison has rescued me, and always with a smile. She comes in well before the rest of us to refill immunizations, floor stock meds and supplies before the Medical Vans head out. And then often times she will then go and work in a clinic.
Nursing is not an easy career and even more so with a disability. Sometimes we wonder why we are here, doing what we do. Are we really making a difference? One day that answer was given to her. She happened to be working in a clinic when a hearing-impaired patient came in with a cochlear implant. When she showed the patient hers, his eyes lit up. Here was someone who truly understood what he was wrestling with. An otherwise scared and shy patient suddenly opened up to her and I think it changed both their lives. The sparkle in her eyes when she tells the story says plenty.
We want Allison to know how valuable she is to our success in caring for this very needy population.