The question has been asked.
Why, in the middle of my career, am I dropping everything to start
another venture – this time combining health communication with healthcare
advocacy.
The explanation for the first part of the combination is easy. Health communication & medical writing are part of who I am. Writing is my favorite communication channel
by far. I love to write, and medical
writing is a logical choice for an experienced health care professional like me. I love to know that whatever I compose is
somehow helping a person to learn something new, reinforcing what existed, or being
the final light bulb that shows them the way. That’s why I write continuing education courses for nurses, and
self-care pamphlets and brochures for patients, and many other types and topics
in writing.
My passion for healthcare advocacy is not so easy to explain. I’ve seen a lot of change in health care
since I first set foot in a hospital as a candy striper some forty-four years
ago. (Wow – I’ve been in the business for a
long time). From candy striper to nursing assistant to registered nurse; from staff nurse to supervisor to business owner and freelance writer/editor. In the hospital
setting, I became a burn care nurse, then an ER nurse, and I dabbled in several
other in-house specialties. I moved out
of hospital care into home health, community health, case management, and medico-legal
consulting. And I taught programs and seminars and classes
for anyone involved in the health care industry, from attorneys to physicians
to nurses and assistants. Yes, I’ve been
in the thick of things in many areas of healthcare for many years, and I’ve seen some things.
I’ve seen the advent of non-clinicians taking lead roles in
policy-making and implementation, leaving the clinicians with hands tied
and confused about how to practice safely. I’ve seen patients refused needed care because of insurance company decisions. I’ve
seen the ranks of nursing staff decimated in the name of cost savings. I’ve seen nursing assistants, with only weeks
of training, being delegated duties well beyond their training and education,
and how the stress shows itself in all the wrong ways.
I can say only that I’ve been an advocate for my
patients every moment I’ve been in healthcare. No matter where I practiced, no matter who was running the show, or what
the staffing or political situation; whether the patient was conscious or unconscious
and on life support, whether they were innocent victims or criminals - I’ve
been an advocate for the person in my care, and for the loved ones who suffered
alongside.
A nurse walks the path with the patient, with the loved ones. It is an intimate path. We’re often together for 8, 12, maybe 16 hours a day. We support, we comfort, we
explain, we take action when things go awry, we fight for the best outcome, we let go
when it’s time. For a brief moment in
all of our lives we have a relationship like no other, and we are molded by that experience, surely
in preparation for the next person who needs our care. We are forever affected by each relationship. We take all of you home in our hearts and sometimes wonder if there was more we could have done. And
that is how a nurse becomes an advocate.
Today, with all the changes in health care, from the Affordable Care Act to the new structure of “how things work” in a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) system, the people who may become patients often have no idea what’s going on or where they should turn for information. I’m
stepping in with blog posts about healthcare issues - with a Facebook page that
contains current articles of interest and a Pinterest page with more visual,
motivational pieces. I’m also on Twitter,
LinkedIn, and email… whatever it takes to get you the information you
need to be the center of your care, to be an informed consumer and
empowered decision-maker. And, should you prefer,
I can meet with you in person on Oahu to help make sense of the mayhem and pull things together. Ask Nurse Santos.
