Each year, during National Nurses Week May 6-12, we appreciate and celebrate our nurse colleagues for their professionalism and compassion.

“Nurses affiliated with Paradigm inspire and influence me every day. The clinical expertise and the dedication they show to each injured worker and to their Paradigm teams make outstanding outcomes possible.”

– John Watts Jr, Paradigm Outcomes CEO

Our nurse case managers coordinate care and support the recovery of our injured workers, while our directors of clinical services support the care management process and bring valuable expertise to every case.

For #NationalNursesWeek 2018, we asked a few of our nurse colleagues to share their perspectives on topics like: keys to inspiring patients, influential lessons learned, and helpful techniques they use in everyday situations.

Liesl Rose, RN, CCM | Network Manager

How do you inspire patients to reach a little – or a lot – further to regain function?

“I try to stay upbeat and positive–encouraging  patients whenever possible and acknowledging how hard they are working. There are also days when it is really difficult to be positive and upbeat, and that’s when I’m there for them and listen, and encourage them by reminding them how far they’ve come because of their determination. ”

Lisa Hendrix RN, CCM | Network Manager

How do you inspire patients to reach a little – or a lot – further to regain function?

“I encourage patients by reminding them of their end goals, and through support tools like faith and prayer. We make goals together in the beginning of our case management relationship. My job is to be their cheerleader for those times they just want to give up.”  

Share an idea, technique or tool you’ve learned recently.

“MileIQ is the best app for tracking your business mileage. You can download it through your phone’s app store, and it’s great at tax time because it gives you total business miles and it’s always on.”  

Michelle Baker RN, BS, CRRN ,CCM | Manager, Network Services

How do you inspire patients to reach a little – or a lot – further to regain function?

“My approach for motivating patients is built upon recognizing their accomplishments. If a patient is feeling down about their current situation, I love to help them think back a few weeks, days, or hours to what they have done, to help put things in perspective. Even when the discussion is not about their frustration, I try to end conversations by acknowledging the achievements they’ve made no matter how small.”

Share an idea, technique or tool you’ve learned recently.

“You cannot change life experiences you have no control over, but what you can change is how you react and use those experiences to learn and progress.”

Among your colleagues, who influences you in a good way and how?

“A former colleague, Renee Loomis, always saw the good in everyone or a positive in every situation. She taught me that focusing on the achievable outcomes provides small successes along the way and helps you to enjoy the work you are doing.”

Tammy McCoy, RN, BSN, CCM  | Director, Clinical Services – Trauma

Among your colleagues, who influences you in a good way and how?

“The network managers we work with are amazing. They are on the front lines, functioning as the eyes and ears for the case, as well as the hands to provide care and support. We could not do this work without their commitment to establishing relationships and supporting the needs of the patient and family. They help drive our optimum outcomes with compassion and caring.”

Danita T. Williams MBA, BS, RN, CCM, WCCM | Network Manager

How do you inspire patients to reach a little – or a lot – further to regain function?

“I let patients know that I understand their situation, and that I am here to assist them, and their families with the recovery process. When the patients see you follow through with things you’ve discussed, they have more trust in the things that you do and say. If you tell a client that he/she can do it, they tend to believe in the words that you are saying to them and try harder. To inspire you must have a bond. I inspire my patients by building that bond through trust.”

Among your colleagues, who influences you in a good way and how?

“Tracy McDowell has been able to transform Paradigm’s complex lingo, techniques and instructions into layman’s terms. She provides alternative viewpoints, which allows me to process and analyze more clearly, and realize that the solution was already there. Tracy has allowed me to feel more confident when working with Paradigm files and believe in the knowledge and skills that I have as a Registered Nurse.”