Hi Everyone!
I had the privilege of interviewing a friend of mine who is a nurse here in Colorado Springs, CO. It was amazing to learn about how her job in public health as a nurse overlaps with many of the oral conditions that we diagnose and deal with as dental hygienists.
Name, Title, Position, Location
Emma [she requested that her last name not be published to the blog due to privacy concerns], Registered Nurse, EMA, Colorado Springs.
Determine background, credentials, education
Emma is relatively new to public health, but has previously worked as a CNA at one of the local hospitals. She is a registered nurse, graduated from Pikes Peak State College's nursing program (AAS) and completed classes through UCCS's nursing program (BAS).
In what capacity do they serve? How long?
Emma provides Emergency Medical Assistance (EMA) as a homecare registered nurse. She has been serving in this role for just under 1 year.
How did they get into public health, why did they choose it, and how long have they been in it?
During the interview, Emma said, "There are so many reasons why I chose this profession. Growing up, I experienced major personal health challenges and individual members within family did too. We had an in-home nurse [through the organization that Emma now works for] who made a huge impact on me and my family. My older sister was a nurse, plus I've always loved the sciences. But mostly I chose this path because I have personal experience with the difference that a good nurse can make." As was mentioned previously, Emma has been in this specific role for just under 1 year.
What projects are you currently working on?
During the interview, Emma said, "I'm currently working with a 2 year old patient who has a skeletal disorder [she later said the specific diagnosis was skeletal dysplasia] that impacts my patient's growth and development. I know that it was partly due to the fact that she was born at 23 weeks. She is my main assignment right now since we typically only see one to three patients at a time. Right now we're working on mobilizing her immobile joints [I asked about the jaw and she said that the immobility of her TMJ plays a part in her eating challenges in addition to other factors]. She can't talk or swallow on her own which has made it challenging to provide the nutrients she needs to grow more on her own. We also have to work on increasing her strength to sit up by herself, she's seeing speech therapist to help strengthen her cheek muscles and tongue---which should help with her eating struggles. My main goal with her is to see improved growth and development."
Who are you partnering with, and how is it being funded? IF it is funded by a grant, who wrote the proposal? Does it tie in with Healthy People 2030?
Emma works with HCFP's Home Health Program which is part of Colorado's Medicaid program. She wasn't sure about the details of the funding. After learning more about Emma's job, I would say that she plays a small--but very important role--towards achieving the goals of Healthy People 2030.
What are the goals and objectives?
In addition to her individual goals with her current patient (that were listed previously), Emma said that her goal for her overall job title is "To assess overall health, intervene when necessary, help patients maintain baseline, work towards goals of development and building strength to include physical, cognitive, and psychological strength. Overall we're just trying to make a difference in public health one patient at a time. What I do also allows use to plan strategically for future patients and groups of patients that we work with as a larger body of physicians."
What recommendations or tips do you have for someone interested in a career in public health?
Emma said, "It's really hard to see patients suffer and it's hard to not always be able to fix it or make them better. It's easy to get burnt out because you can't always make things 100% better... but trust that you are making a difference and still helping those people in an impactful way regardless of how you may feel on any particular day."
I also added the following two questions of my own to the interview.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Emma said, "When I walk in and my patients get so excited to see me. It is a professional job, but it's also a personal investment with your individual patient relationships."
What is the most discouraging part about your job?
Emma said, "It feels like you're not enough for them when you cannot heal them 100% of the time. It can also be hard when I'm an an assignment because I do not always have coworkers around--in per-son at least--which on many days can be hard. I know that I have a lot of support, but it can definitely be a challenging part of my specific role."
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