Welcome Isabella

At our community health center, each provider has a primary nurse that works with them. There was a time when nurses rotated daily but we found this to be somewhat disruptive. Now, each nurse still has to know how to work with multiple providers and how to manage pediatric and adult patients, but for the most part, a nurse and provider form a team. This works very well for us. The nurse forms a trusting relationship with the patient and parent. There is great continuity if a child is being followed for an illness and also for well care.The provider and nurse over time develop an understanding of how to provide the best patient care. This relationship is such an important one with regard to time and efficiency in the office. In many offices and hospitals, care is very fragmented and one staff member may ask history, another do vitals, another draw labs, another give vaccinations. This may be efficient but I feel something is lost for the patient and the nurse. I love the fact that these are our patients; I love that my nurse takes such pride in taking care of them. The provider/nurse relationship is something to explore when you interview at an office.

The nurse I currently work with is young enough to be my daughter. She had her 21st birthday this fall but has more maturity in 21 years than many get in 40. She chose her career in high school and attended a special program to get her LPN degree during her final years. She did an internship at our health center and because of her clinical skills, her willingness to learn and her genuine warmth, was hired to start as soon as she graduated. We started working together about a year an a half ago.

Sharon has been a pleasure to work with. She is very quick to learn. She will watch me and see all the things I am doing and say " Why don't you let me try and handle that piece, I think I could do that." She is great on vaccines. She knows when I will want a vision screen and when we need a urinalysis. She is the one that is trained on all the new equipment in our office and then she teaches the rest of us.

Sharon also found her soul mate in high school and they married when she was 18. This week, they became proud parents of a beautiful little girl, Isabella. I became just proud, of all of them. Isabella is the third baby born in our health center family this year. We also welcomed Jayson and Victor. They are all healthy. We have so much to be thankful for. Sharon gave me permission to post some pictures.