Care More Spotlight: Advocating for Those in Need

As a nursing professional, sometimes the most important job you have during a shift is advocating for your patients. When someone is ill or injured, they may not have the ability to advocate for themselves, and that is where our Care More Spotlight recipient, Lisa Rodgers steps in. Lisa has been a registered nurse for eight years and has been traveling as an emergency department RN since 2013. As a traveler, Lisa has worked in 11 different emergency departments across the United States, and she has learned new things every step along the way. One thing she never passes up is an opportunity to advocate on behalf of her patients.

“I love my job. I love the days when I leave work, and I feel so fulfilled because I was able to make a difference in someone’s life,” she explains. “It’s hard to balance being efficient in the job, but also take the time to make every patient feel important. I love making a human connection with my patients and their families, even if it is just being present for 5 minutes to listen.”

travel nurse Lisa in scrubs

Being an advocate for your patients is not always an easy task. Sometimes it means standing up to those in leadership positions who may not be seeing the situation from the same level as you are on the front lines.

On one occasion, in particular, Lisa took her familiar role as an advocate for a patient who had come into the ED by ambulance, but she didn’t speak any English. The patient had vague complaints, and both the ambulance crew and the physician on staff requested that the husband be let back into the room to translate. Lisa sensed a disconnect because of how upset the patient was, and the lack of clarity with what she was experiencing. Lisa asked the husband to remain in the waiting room and brought in a hospital translator to help everyone communicate better.

At a certain point, the ambulance crew and physician left the room, leaving Lisa alone with her patient and the translator. Lisa asked the patient if there was anything else she could do for her, to which the woman replied, “Can I trust you?” It was then that Lisa found out that the woman was in an abusive relationship, and she feared for her life. Because of her language barrier, she had no close friends and no local relatives, so she had no one to help her out. Lisa ultimately arranged for whatever resources the hospital was able to offer the woman. When she left work later that day, she had an understanding that her patient was now ready to leave the dangerous environment she had been trapped in.

“As nurses, we take care of patients all the time, and we do not always know the final outcome,” she said recently. “I feel fortunate to have learned that she is finally safe. It is always important to use an independent translator and have the understanding that being an advocate in the smallest way, can make a huge difference in someone’s life!”

Supplemental Health Care is proud to have Lisa Rodgers as a part of our travel team and thank her for being an outstanding nurse and advocate!

If you are ready to take your nursing or therapy career to the next level, contact one of our professional recruitment specialists today and start a rewarding travel assignment.