Coordinating Care for the Intellectually Disabled
This nurse shares how her 20 years in care management have aided her in being a clinical nurse consultant
Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses for nurses. This week, one nurse shares her background in care management and clinical education and how that has translated into her current role as a nurse consultant for patients with intellectual disabilities. We also discuss drops in vaccination recommendations, flu hospitalizations reaching a record high, and a French ban on forever chemicals.
But first, cheers to enjoying the little things in this new year...
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Nurse Spotlight: Terrie Cummings RN, BSN, MA
What I do for work
For the past 11 years, I’ve worked for a nurse-run company to provide health services to intellectually disabled people who live in group homes or go to an adult day program. The group homes and day programs are regulated by the state of Minnesota and our company helps them keep their license. As nurse consultants, we help in coordinating care and triaging patients when a clinical issue comes up. As the only clinical person in group homes, the RNs help train and educate the ancillary people.
How I got here
I was originally referred by a friend to work in consulting and they immediately gave me stable clients, including large corporations. Before my current job, I did the bulk of my career in the community. First in the hospital, home health care and a little school nursing. Later I spent 20+ years in case management for insurance companies before I ended up in consulting. Now as an experienced consultant, I’ve found that one of the cornerstones to this job is education, which is one of the reasons I enjoy it. I’ve always been a good educator, with a strong education background and a former clinical educator in the hospital setting.
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More on Terrie
A day in my life
I usually go to visit the group homes every week to do the needed paperwork. That includes coordinating all the medications with the med sheets to make sure provider orders match up. We do all of the training of staff for anything clinical. We can be on call for a quick question from staff regarding the care of the patients. We also teach a lot of delegate-able skills such as how to properly give medications. A lot of the job is learning how to properly “read through the lines” as most of are patients are unable to fully explain what’s wrong with them when an issue arises.
What I do for fun
I’m an artisan who makes knitted and crocheted items and sells them local in craft fairs, which have been very successful! Because of this, I have been recently looking into creating an online store. I’m an avid biker and have been averaging 2000 miles per year, and this year I also started weight training. During the winter, my husband and go cross country skiing to enjoy the season together.
Headlines in Healthcare
CDC drops childhood vaccine recommendations
This week, the CDC changed guidelines for childhood vaccines to 11 disease from the previous 17. Vaccines for influenza, rotavirus, meningococcal, and hepatitis A are among the vaccines that are no longer routinely recommended. Some others that remain on the list of recommendations, are marked as only recommended for "high risk" group or if a doctor specifically recommends it to the patient. RFK Jr. claims this change protect children, respects family, and rebuilds trust in public health" but public health experts have widely disapproved of the decision.
Flu hospitalization in NY hit record high
During the final week of December, extending into early January, more than 4,500 New Yorkers were hospitalized with the flu. This statistic marks the highest number of flu hospitalizations ever recorded in a single reporting week — a 24% increase from the week prior.
France bans 'forever chemicals' in cosmetics and clothing
The ban of harmful "forever chemicals" in cosmetics and clothing in France is now in effect, requiring French authorities to regularly test drinking water. These chemicals, including PFAs, take a long time to break down and have been detected all over the planet in the soil, water, and human body. Studies have shown that consistent exposure can lead to liver damage, high cholesterol, low birthweights, and some types of cancer.
Meet the author:
Katie Scoggins
(RN, BSN & Health Writer)
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