By Janice Petrella Lynch, MSN, RN
Ambulatory care: Build strong patient bonds
Denise C. Brenner, BSN,RN,CWCW, nurse manager of ambulatory services,Mor- ristown (N.J.)Medical Center, said nurses who transition more easily to ambulatory care have at least two years of inpatient nursing. She finds the experience provides a “good foundation to sharpen assessment skills and develop a basic understanding of patients’ acute conditions and their continuity of care.” Home careRNs are more comfortable in ambulatory care, she said, since they have
ith more than 100 specialties available to nurses, the initial choice of nursing as a profes-
sion for most is just the first of many they will make throughout their careers. Whether the profession is facing a time of vacancies and shortages or low turnover and no openings, options are always available for nurses to move from one specialty to another. The profession continually becomes more specialty focused as nurses hone new skills and move their careers forward, perhaps opting to transition to a new specialty along the way. Here’s what nursing leaders in ambulatory
care, informatics, case management and periop- erative nursing have to say about who moves where and why, as well as characteristics RNs possess who thrive in these specialties and what they can do to prepare for the transition.
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been trained to think independently, case manage the patients’ comorbid conditions and collaborate with multiple specialties to facilitate the patients’ independence. Brenner said those interested in moving to ambulatory caremust understand the
role is not easy. “It takes dedicated individualswho arewilling to work with patients and their families long term,” she said. “There is emotional involvement that can tug at our hearts because of the closeness we develop with our patients over time. Reciprocally, the closeness we develop with our patients is quite rewarding and can directly impact positive outcomes.” In the outpatient setting, nurses often are challenged by the fine balance between
patient care and fiscal responsibility, when the patients’ health coverage often man- dates the care nurses are able to provide to
them.Many timesMMC nurses take on the mission of researching and linking patients to charitable opportunities to access care and treatment essential to improving the patients’ health status when their coverage does not meet the need, according to Brenner. “Those interested in the clinical aspect of nursing can follow a clinical path as an
NP or APNand those more interested in the operations of the ambulatory setting would benefit most from the nursing leadership pathways,” she said. “There are a variety of different degrees in healthcare administration, community health and public health that help ambulatory nurses advance their careers.”
of opportunity Doors
Nurses have many options for taking their careers to the next level
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