Day rehab nursing is vastly different than inpatient. At any given time, there could be up to 50 patients coming through the clinic during the day with one nurse to manage emergencies, admissions, clinic days with the physician, and lots of education. Homewood Day Rehab takes patients from all over the south side of Chicago and eastern Indiana. Many times, patients and families alike come to day rehab overwhelmed with all that has occurred during inpatient hospitalization. The knowledge deficit of new diagnosis can cause some confusion and uncertainty of how to manage medications and lifestyle changes. The nurse is faced with providing ongoing medication and disease process education.
Cheryl always takes the time to educate on medications, disease processes, and nutrition. Cheryl along with OT will offer weekly nutrition class to teach patients how diet affects health. Cheryl also works with patients on owning their health and education on follow-up care to prevent re-hospitalization. There are several instances that stick out in mind of Cheryl going above and beyond for the patients.
One example is a new stroke patient who was on Coumadin; this patient came to day rehab from an outside hospital with poor recall and non-compliance with her Coumadin management. Cheryl completed the patient's first INR, faxed to this patient's new PCP and worked tirelessly to get the patient on the correct dose of Coumadin. This along with other numerous examples are why I feel Cheryl Jones is worthy of the DAISY Award.