Shannon Charles has recently taken on the position as Nurse Specialist for the MFM group in OB/GYN where I have worked with her as Associate Physician full-time for the past 6 years. My personal subspecialty clinic is the High-Risk Obstetric/Psychiatry Clinic, which lends itself towards complex social dynamics, a broad spectrum of sensitive communication issues in treatment and care, in addition to primary mental health needs. It is very important for my entire patient population to be met where they are at when trying to communicate over the phone, and a large percentage of my patient population has special communication needs. I have found Shannon to be a tremendous resource in filling this gap in patient advocacy and education that I can never adequately fill from clinic visits alone.
Shannon will always contact me to update or clarify patient needs and ensure that the patients have a good understanding of their care plan and, if not, that they are seen in a timely manner. Shannon is also tasked with the responsibility of fetal testing clinic, where all manner of high-risk patients are monitored during their pregnancies. Even prior to becoming a part of the MFM Division Shannon has always been constantly in communication with the Perinatologists, Physicians on Labor and Delivery, etc. when monitoring these patients. She has an excellent ability to think on her feet and triage high-risk patients effectively and efficiently and multiple physicians have made note of her efficiency in this manner. I have been told countless times by patients that they would like to meet "Shannon the RN" who spent so much time on the phone assisting them, or that they would like me to thank Shannon for explaining to them why they were being sent from fetal testing to Labor and Delivery for more monitoring, without increasing their anxiety level about what was (potentially) happening. Patients of many diverse socio-economic, cultural and developmental levels feel comfortable with Shannon and she is able to effectively communicate and elicit all pertinent medical information and use it in a concise manner that has proven effective for patients, physicians and nursing alike.
My patients who have had the good fortune of having Shannon assess them have said they never felt judged and felt like they had an advocate at their side. I cannot express enough how often this individual is complimented by patients, and how noteworthy that is. I cannot underscore enough how much and how naturally she goes above and beyond as a patient advocate making the communication of knowledge/procedure/protocol between staff, clinicians, patients and families as seamless as possible. For this reason and many more, I often direct our resident physicians to Shannon for expertise and as someone as a model of exemplary behavior with antepartum and postpartum patients. Other providers could have no better mentor when it comes to viewing a provider who shows how much patient education and communication and safety plans can make a difference in their education, understanding and overall level of experience. Her drive, flexibility, adaptability, ability to think on her feet and creativity are displayed daily as she is naturally well suited for the task of working with a diverse range of patients and our multi-disciplinary clinical team.