#HeARTofNursing – the way to find your way in a changing occupation

As nurses, we’re key members of the health care team, and organizations know that to offer evidence-based care, a high-quality nursing workforce is important. Our skills are in demand because patients requiring intensive treatment profit from our critical pondering in addition to our art of care to acquire the most effective results.

For a few of us, our role is changing. As the health care environment focuses on prevention and wellness, many individuals – including those in advanced-career roles – provide medical and nursing care to people outside the hospital setting. The bottom line is that we must practice to the total extent of our education and training to best meet the needs of an evolving health care system, whether we’re on the bedside in health care organizations or caring for people of their homes and communities. In each cases, we must look beyond the patient as an individual with specific medical needs. There are many more aspects that influence a person’s health and well-being.

The World Health ORganisation defines social determinants of health as “the conditions under which people are born, grow up, live, work, and age.” These social determinants of health – socioeconomic status, environment, food insecurity and food security, education, employment, social networking conditions, homelessness and racism – impact health. As nurses, being attentive to these aspects is nothing recent. We deal with holistic take care of each patient and are positioned to be leaders as this recent paradigm in healthcare evolves. Like anything, we won’t do it alone. Collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team is essential.

Caring, leadership and teamwork – three qualities that nurses exemplify. We pay tribute to the nurses at Wolters Kluwer in appreciation for all they do day by day
AND

Stuart Fisk has been involved in HIV research, nursing care and prevention since 1988. Involved in the event and legalization of Prevention Point Pittsburgh, a syringe exchange program for individuals who inject drugs within the region, Fisk currently serves on its board of directors while also providing primary care over HIV-infected people on the Positive Health Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since 1992, Fisk has been providing hospice, nursing and medical care to people infected with HIV, with particular emphasis on the care of individuals with addictions and mental disorders. Helping develop modern care programs for these populations, he played a key role in the event of the Positive Health Clinic and the Center for Inclusive Health at Allegheny Health Network, where he serves as director.

AND