Celebrating Our “Heroes in Scrubs”

Nursing is the thread that connects a patient’s healthcare journey from the beginning of life to the end of life. Across every aspect of the patient experience, nurses provide and protect the needs of each individual patient, and we are excited to celebrate our nurses in honor of Nurses Week 2020. This year, in light of the current state of healthcare around the world, we chose to focus on nurses as heroes, and we are extremely proud to have over 120 “superheroes in scrubs” serving at Atchison Hospital & Clinics.

Nurses are capable of performing great feats of heroism, like reviving someone who has gone into cardiac arrest or identifying the signs of a stroke and taking the appropriate actions to ensure a patient’s survival and recovery. Yet, nurses often display their heroism in more subtle ways. From providing a tissue to a tearful child who has broken his arm, offering a supportive shoulder to an elderly patient recovering from a hip replacement, or simply by being a comforting presence to a family receiving life-altering news about a loved one’s health, every action that a nurse performs makes an impact on someone’s life every day.

What makes a nurse a (super)hero?

• Nurses are protectors. Nurses act as patient advocates to protect the interests of their patients when their patients are unable to protect their own interests due to illness or a lack of health knowledge.
• Nurses are concerned with the wellbeing of others. Nurses have long been revered for their compassion and dedication to others, and, especially, to their patients.
• Nurses have moral integrity. Nurses have been identified by society as people who can be counted on to do the right thing and to treat people with dignity and respect. Every day, patients trust their nurses to provide comfort, give them correct doses of medication, help them move around, keep their confidences, and, in all aspects, administer proper and appropriate care.
• Nurses are brave. More importantly, nurses help their patients to be brave. Going to the doctor, having surgery, or being admitted into the hospital typically causes people to fear. Nurses stand by their patients and their patients’ families to comfort them and help them face those fears. Nurses tend to be optimistic by nature and have a knack for helping people see the good in even the most difficult situations.
• Nurses are specifically trained to be heroes. Nurses have obtained the necessary skills and knowledge to make a difference in their patient’s lives. They endure hours of intensive training and careful study to be ready and able to step up whenever and wherever their skills are needed.

Our nurses are all about our patients.

At Atchison Hospital & Clinics, our patients are at the center of everything our nurses do. Our nurses strive to make their patients feel welcome, safe, and secure in the care that they give them. Whether they’re coming in for an office visit or calling with a question, our nurses work to communicate the patient’s needs to their Providers and give them the answers that they need. They do whatever they can to put their patients’ needs first.

The following are testimonials from department directors expressing in their own words what it’s like to work with the nurses of Atchison Hospital & Clinics.

“Our nurses care not only about the patients’ experience at the hospital, but also about their experience after they leave the hospital. The team goes out of their way to ensure that patients have what they need here and the resources to be healthy at home. Each one of our nurses takes individual ownership of their departments. It’s a great team to be a part of.”

“Our nurses strive to keep our patients informed about the required notifications to their insurance and subsequent approvals and denials. We also assist self-pay patients to determine if they qualify for hospital or state financial assistance by coordinating with the financial counselors in the business office.”

“Our nurses are hardworking, caring, dependable, loving, and kind. Their passion and caring for our patients’ well-being is greatly appreciated.”

“The nurses in our department are invested in making the birthing experience the best it can possibly be for the patients and their families. They are constantly checking on the patients, making sure they are not having pain, educating on any procedure that’s done, and making sure that both parents have the information that they need to succeed as parents. The patients and their families are made to feel that they are special and that we are happy to have them here. We make discharge follow-up calls; and then, a few days after discharge, the family is sent a thank you card for choosing Atchison Hospital, along with a picture of their baby and a name board that includes the baby’s name, weight, length, and date of birth. Also, the child is sent a birthday card containing all the nurses’ signatures for their first birthday. I feel that we treat all the patients the same, no matter the circumstance of the patient or the situation. Basically, we treat them ‘like family.’”

“In home care, our nurses have a unique situation each time they enter a patient’s home. No two patients will ever be the same, and we wouldn’t want to treat them as if they were. Every day we treat our patients as individuals, and assess their individual needs. Taking the time to get to know them in their environment is crucial to forming a bond with the patients, so that we can make a difference in their lives. We work collaboratively with therapy to treat the whole patient, so that when we finish with them, they are better off than when we started.”

“I am so excited to get the Horton nursing team up and running in our new clinic in Horton. I have gotten nothing but wonderful feedback about these new nurses and the care they deliver. I have no doubt they will do a fantastic job of delivering quality care to the community of Horton.”

“Atchison Hospital has been my home for just about 6 months, and I could not be prouder to be a part of this team. I have rarely encountered an organization where the providers, the leaders, and the staff are so focused on the community and demonstrate a dedication to their patients and their families on a daily basis. It is an incredible atmosphere where each person is a part of our family, and we take care of each other.”

Thank You, Nurses, For All You Do!

Atchison Hospital nurses are the best! They come together every day to form a great team of caregivers! They support and care for each other and the patients. The nurses at Atchison Hospital are funny and fun, caring, and compassionate! I’m proud to be part of this great team of nurses!
Thank you for all that you do every day! Your kind, compassionate care sets you apart. You do what needs to be done without complaint. I am thankful for each one of you and proud to be part of this team!

Amy Folsom
director of the Emergency Department and Infusion Services
Nurses at Atchison Hospital have your back! We can depend on other departments to come and help if needed when we’re having an emergency or just really busy. I feel that most of us all know each other and are kind to each other, kind of like a family of siblings. We may have disagreements, but when it comes right down to it, we are here for each other. Their commitment, talent, and skills are amazing! I am so grateful for each one of the ladies that make the OB department as great as it is!

Jane Walsh
director of Obstetrics
Jessie in Advanced Health Services does an awesome job of always smiling and making the patient feel welcome and cared for. She is compassionate and delivers high quality care with each patient encounter. Her caring and giving attitude makes her patient care skills shine. She provides excellent care to our patients.

Jennifer Brockhoff
director of Advanced Health Services and Horton Clinic
Cheryl VanWey does an excellent job in utilization review/case management. Her years of experience shows as she’s the ‘go to’ person to determine appropriate levels of care for the organization. She is passionate about her role, and takes pride in what she does every day. She participates in rounds and collaborates well with the entire team. Cheryl is a definite asset to Atchison Hospital and her director!!!

Kelli McCarty
Utilization Review/Case Management
I want to say ‘Thank You’ to the Atchison Hospital Clinic Nurses for being such a great team of nurses to work with! You are kind, hardworking, and accountable to your Providers and your patients. I am proud to be working alongside such a great group of people.

Brenda Langley
director of Atchison Hospital Clinics
This is a great group of individuals that come together to form an amazing team! They work hard through whatever situation is thrown their way, and always put the patient first. I’m so thankful to be part of the Home Health & Hospice team.

Brandi Oom
director of Home Health and Hospice
Entering into a new position and trying to learn the ways of a new organization is challenging, but when you throw a historic pandemic into the mix, I could have easily been overwhelmed. This extraordinary group of leaders that I am privileged to work with every day provide the motivation and inspiration to come to work every day. Their positive attitudes and dedication to each other, our organization, and above all, our patients is inspirational. Not one time through any of this have I heard “that’s not my job,” or “that’s not my problem.” There is always a feeling of “here is the need, what do we need to do to take care of it?” I could not be more blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people who truly care about their community!

Alicia Sorensen
Nursing Leadership