Val John
May 2024
Val
John
,
RN
Burn Care Therapy
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada
Las Vegas
,
NV
United States
The dedication and empathy she’s had for people for over twenty years have made everyone who has crossed paths with Val incredibly lucky, and I’m incredibly fortunate to have been one of them.
Valsamma has been at UMC for over 25 years. She has been in the Burn Care Therapy for over 20 years. She has grown through the years in the clinic. She has been the bedside nurse, relief charge and currently for the last 3 years the permanent charge nurse for the clinic.
1. Huge resource for the staff and doctors:
Monthly and daily she sits with any physician or on the phone to help clear up the confusion on how to place orders into EPIC. It is important for the nurses to be able to remove medication from the Pyxis.
For patients unable to obtain follow up appointments with their surgeon or primary care, Valsamma takes the time to call the doctors and obtain the appropriate time and place for the patient to see the doctor. If there is a patient that needs to be seen in the clinic by a physician that does not have times in the clinic, she will call the doctor and ask that they come to see the patient or have a resident come and see the patient.
2. Strong patient advocate for the patients and families:
Valsamma will call any of the doctors to see patients in a timely fashion. One day the patient was trying to be seen in the clinic for their wound, there were no orders to be seen in the clinic. The family tried for 2 days to reach the doctor to obtain the proper orders. The family was very upset; they could not get the doctor to call back or give an appointment to see them, so they showed up at the clinic to see if they could be seen. Valsamma called the physician's office and requested the information be ordered so they could be seen. She had to call the office 2 times that day to obtain the appropriate orders. The family was extremely happy with the time and carrying that Valsamma showed them. They did nominate her for a DAISY Award.
Another time, the patient was going to the surgeon's office for the dressings to be changed. The staff told the patient that they were too busy to perform the dressing changes and they would need to go to the UMC's wound clinic. Unfortunately, when they came to the clinic to obtain an appointment, there was no referral or order to be seen. Valsamma attempted to reach the surgeon but was unable to get through. The patient and family were very upset and worried that something bad was going to happen to the wound because the dressing had not been changed for a couple of days. Valsamma continued to call the doctor for the appropriate orders and treatment. The patient and family were very grateful and wrote a note to the hospital.
3. Strong Resource and Preceptor for the clinic:
Val always has time to help the new staff learn how to care for and treat the patients seen in the clinic. She will help them learn the proper way to charge for patients, apply the dressings, and follow up requirements for the patient. There are very few nurses I’ve met who exemplify what it means to actually provide care for their patients. Val John is most certainly among those few. When I joined the clinic team last year, it was made very clear very quickly that Val would do anything in her power to help the folks in her care. Whether it’s calling doctors directly to help get a patient the treatment they require, contacting family members of patients, reaching out to other clinics, or even calling patients who have missed their standing appointments to see if everything is all right, Val has worked tirelessly to be the answer to any problem that arises on a daily basis. There have been times that Val has remained in the clinic after her shift to make sure that her patients are getting anything and everything they need before she leaves. Her extensive knowledge of all things clinic-related has made her a powerful asset when it comes to onboarding new staff, as well.
I’m thankful for every bit of wisdom that she’s managed to impart to me in our time together before her well-deserved retirement. From what I’ve seen, Val has been the epitome of what a nurse should be and serves as a monumental example for anyone involved in patient care. The dedication and empathy she’s had for people for over twenty years have made everyone who has crossed paths with Val incredibly lucky, and I’m incredibly fortunate to have been one of them.
1. Huge resource for the staff and doctors:
Monthly and daily she sits with any physician or on the phone to help clear up the confusion on how to place orders into EPIC. It is important for the nurses to be able to remove medication from the Pyxis.
For patients unable to obtain follow up appointments with their surgeon or primary care, Valsamma takes the time to call the doctors and obtain the appropriate time and place for the patient to see the doctor. If there is a patient that needs to be seen in the clinic by a physician that does not have times in the clinic, she will call the doctor and ask that they come to see the patient or have a resident come and see the patient.
2. Strong patient advocate for the patients and families:
Valsamma will call any of the doctors to see patients in a timely fashion. One day the patient was trying to be seen in the clinic for their wound, there were no orders to be seen in the clinic. The family tried for 2 days to reach the doctor to obtain the proper orders. The family was very upset; they could not get the doctor to call back or give an appointment to see them, so they showed up at the clinic to see if they could be seen. Valsamma called the physician's office and requested the information be ordered so they could be seen. She had to call the office 2 times that day to obtain the appropriate orders. The family was extremely happy with the time and carrying that Valsamma showed them. They did nominate her for a DAISY Award.
Another time, the patient was going to the surgeon's office for the dressings to be changed. The staff told the patient that they were too busy to perform the dressing changes and they would need to go to the UMC's wound clinic. Unfortunately, when they came to the clinic to obtain an appointment, there was no referral or order to be seen. Valsamma attempted to reach the surgeon but was unable to get through. The patient and family were very upset and worried that something bad was going to happen to the wound because the dressing had not been changed for a couple of days. Valsamma continued to call the doctor for the appropriate orders and treatment. The patient and family were very grateful and wrote a note to the hospital.
3. Strong Resource and Preceptor for the clinic:
Val always has time to help the new staff learn how to care for and treat the patients seen in the clinic. She will help them learn the proper way to charge for patients, apply the dressings, and follow up requirements for the patient. There are very few nurses I’ve met who exemplify what it means to actually provide care for their patients. Val John is most certainly among those few. When I joined the clinic team last year, it was made very clear very quickly that Val would do anything in her power to help the folks in her care. Whether it’s calling doctors directly to help get a patient the treatment they require, contacting family members of patients, reaching out to other clinics, or even calling patients who have missed their standing appointments to see if everything is all right, Val has worked tirelessly to be the answer to any problem that arises on a daily basis. There have been times that Val has remained in the clinic after her shift to make sure that her patients are getting anything and everything they need before she leaves. Her extensive knowledge of all things clinic-related has made her a powerful asset when it comes to onboarding new staff, as well.
I’m thankful for every bit of wisdom that she’s managed to impart to me in our time together before her well-deserved retirement. From what I’ve seen, Val has been the epitome of what a nurse should be and serves as a monumental example for anyone involved in patient care. The dedication and empathy she’s had for people for over twenty years have made everyone who has crossed paths with Val incredibly lucky, and I’m incredibly fortunate to have been one of them.