It is impossible to overstate the importance of our dedicated nurses. Their skill, care and compassion are essential to a patient’s healing and to our hospital’s success and ability to provide world-class care.
At INTEGRIS, we realize the professional practice of nursing is a calling. It is a physically demanding position that requires personal sacrifice, commitment and grace. Many of our nurses give up their holidays with their families to work through nights and weekends to care for our patients. It is this selflessness that we applaud not only during National Nurses Week, but every day of every year.
“We feel honored to have nurses that continuously strive to provide exceptional care to our patients through research founded and evidenced-based practice. We stay ahead of the curve to ensure advanced clinical practice,” says Joni Tiller, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center. “Our Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) have increased the community’s access to timely care and expertise in clinical practice and our Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) have ensured the highest quality of care at the bedside to our patients, in collaboration with the patients’ nurses and medical staff.”
She continues, “The clinical expertise required by our nurses to deliver advanced clinical practice is outstanding. Their abilities allow INTEGRIS to provide care to some of the sickest patients in our communities. And our communities have no borders reaching throughout the state, nationally and even internationally.”
Nurses are on the frontlines of medical care. They monitor patients sometimes around the clock, administer medication and assess the effectiveness of treatment. They understand the complexities and implications of an illness or injury and alert physicians of any red flags or other concerns.
“Nurses are an integral part of health care, whether in our hospitals, clinics or elsewhere. The work and healing of health care would not and could not take place without them. Physicians know how valuable they are as part of the team and appreciate their incredible hard work, dedication and devotion,” says James White, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Managing Director of Medical Affairs at INTEGRIS Health. “Their work is not always glamorous but is always essential. The knowledge, wisdom, caring, comfort and human touch that they bring to all patients is irreplaceable by any technology. After all, despite all the advances we have seen and will continue to see, the majority of and the best of health care still comes down to a one to one human interaction.”
Nurses are a patient’s greatest advocate. They spend the most time with them, getting to know them and their families on a personal level which can lead to a greater understanding of an issue or situation. Such insight can be crucial to a patient’s care and progress. Nurses also provide invaluable emotional support. They counsel patients and families through everything from understanding a chronic condition to coping with death and dying. Their medical knowledge combined with exceptional people skills provide much comfort and stability to families during difficult and trying times.
Nurses promote health and healing within a range of human experiences that span a variety of care settings. Whether managing patients at the individual or community level, nurses are pivotal in promoting the safety and quality of patient care. From health to illness, nurses are in a position to impact the patient’s experience in a caring relational model that integrates the application of data with science, knowledge, and evidence based practice,” says Angie Kamermayer,Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services at INTEGRIS Health Edmond.
INTEGRIS understands nurses are the backbone of the health care delivery system, making a significant impact on the lives of countless patients each and every day. And for that, we are eternally grateful.
