Restoring Patients’ Lives
The experienced and compassionate nurses at MidAmerica Rehabilitation Hospital are the superheroes in the lives of their patients.
MARH Nurses – compassionate, dedicated, dependable, caring, respectful, empathetic and humble!
During the month of May, known as National Nurses Month in healthcare settings, it is time to celebrate the professionals who work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of their patients: the nurses. This month-long celebration serves to celebrate the field of nursing and all clinicians who have chosen this honorable profession, providing a time to “recognize the vast contributions and positive impact of America’s four million registered nurses,” according to the American Nurses Association.
Working as a nurse, one can enjoy a meaningful career with opportunities for growth and a chance to explore a diverse specialty. This is truly a career that gives one the chance to impact the overall health and well-being of patients and the community. Nurses stand on the front lines of health care with a primary goal of advancing the health of patients and even entire communities. And when it comes to rehabilitative health care, nurses in this particular setting specialize in helping those with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses in order to help them obtain optimal function and health, successfully integrating those patients back into their respective communities. These dedicated professionals who work within a rehabilitative setting are some of the most highly sensitive and caring individuals who have a heart of compassion for helping others.
Suntu, RN and Sarah, Rehab Nurse Tech. “They are wonderful, always anticipating everyone’s needs ad their patients love them.”
Fortunately, here in the Kansas City metro area, we have a phenomenal rehabilitation hospital that employees an outstanding team of nurses: MidAmerica Rehabilitation Hospital with Encompass Health (MARH). Located in Overland Park, Kansas, patients at MARH enjoy unwavering commitment from practitioners whose main goal is to help those patients regain independence after a life-changing illness or injury. Through their clinical collaboration and advanced technologies, this team of steadfast individuals operates through an interdisciplinary approach that includes multiple platforms of care along with the latest in technologies and expertise to help patients achieve their goals.
For complete customized rehabilitative care, MARH is the preferred destination. Navigating this journey can be challenging. Fortunately, the doctors, nurses, therapists, and all other clinicians who practice here make that experience less stressful with personalized therapy approaches, a treatment plan tailored to each individual’s health care needs, and a highly personalized touch.
Nem, RN. “Nem has been an asset to our team since the day he started. His patients are his priority, and it shows in everything he does.”
When describing the amazing nurses that work at MARH, so many words come to mind: compassionate, dedicated, dependable, caring, respectful, empathetic, and humble, just to name a few. Confident in their rehabilitation efforts, these nurses expertly handle all aspects of patient care. Their focus is always on their primary goal of restoring the lives of their patients and to help them achieve independence again.
Among all of its health care providers, the nurses at MARH make an incredible difference in the lives of patients and their families/caregivers. In a sense, they are the true heart of the care offered at this outstanding rehabilitation hospital. Nursing is an art partnered with science, and it requires of its practitioners complete devotion and dedication. The nursing staff at MARH has such a commitment in spades.
“Nurses at MARH specialize in rehabilitative care, helping patients apply skills learned in therapy,” expressed Christine DeNiro, RN, BSN, CRRN, and Senior Rehab Liaison with MARH. “Being fully capable and highly attentive to the needs of patients is an integral part of the job description for the nursing staff at MARH. After all, these are the health care professionals who help people when they are at their most vulnerable and unexpected moments.”
Ebony, Rehab Nurse Tech. “Ebony works with patients to help them reach their goals.”
At the intersection of science/technology and care and compassion, that is where you will find the superheroes of MARH.
Patients and their families can enjoy peace of mind, too, as MARH has a strong team of CRRNs (Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses), RNs (Registered Nurses), LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses), and RNTs (Rehabilitation Nursing Techs). Translation? There is no shortage of care, expertise, and compassion at MARH. All of the nurses here work with patients of all ages and their families and/or caregivers to help them reach their goals so they can be successfully discharged home and get back out into their communities.
The art of specialty nursing at MARH: Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses (CRRNs)
When someone requires rehabilitation after an injury or illness, MARH stands at the ready. Through its comprehensive menu of programs and services, MARH relies on advanced technologies, personalized programs, and expert rehabilitation teams. Further, the patients at MARH are on the receiving end of the advanced experience offered by their team of CRRNs, which provides for greater outcomes. Currently, MARH has 17 CRRNs on staff that offer this highly specialized level of nursing care.
When one obtains the CRRN designation, that means a registered nurse has attained specialized expertise in caring for rehabilitation patients. For the patient, this simply means that receiving care from a CRRN during rehabilitation can make an impactful difference in the rehabilitation journey of the patient, positively affecting outcome and overall satisfaction.
According to DeNiro, CRRNs specialize in rehabilitative care, helping patients apply skills learned in therapy to activities of daily living, such as dressing, bathing, and eating, while also meeting any special medical safety needs.
“For a registered nurse to obtain CRRN status, it signifies a special commitment to the Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse profession, the rehabilitation field and to MidAmerica Rehabilitation Hospital patients,” stated DeNiro. “Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses are more confident in their rehabilitation efforts, handling all aspects of patient care with a confirmed sense of responsibility. This important quality, along with enhanced skills as a rehabilitation nurse, helps Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses provide a more targeted path leading to a patient’s faster return home and back into the community.”
Clair Dick, PRN, CRRN, PRM. “We are nurses, educators and advocates.”
A View from Within: a Conversation with Clair Dick, PRN, CRRN, PRM PASC (Patient Assessment Standards Coordinator) at MARH
Clair has worked in the healthcare arena for 12 years. She first began her professional journey as a CNA (Certified Nurse’s Aide), then as a CMA (Certified Medication Aide), and then transitioned to become a RN (Registered Nurse) seven years ago. She has been with MARH for the past six years and appreciates having a place to truly let her light shine in a way that will greatly benefit patients.
“I have wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember,” she recalled. “I even did a project in junior high emphasizing why nursing is a good career choice. I have been a caregiver in all aspects of my life, so nursing was a good fit for my personality.”
As a nurse at MARH, Dick loves being able to see a visible difference and improvement in patients’ lives.
“To have a patient come in on a stretcher and then walking in a few weeks is incredibly rewarding and reminds you why you are there,” she emphasized.
Dick appreciates the importance of becoming a CRRN. The continuing education allows her to provide increased benefits to the patient because she has a deeper understanding of processes that affect those patients directly.
“In school you learn about all areas of nursing, and with this certification, we are able to dive deeper in the areas of rehab that end up making our patients better and more independent,” she noted.
Dick indicated that rehab nursing also enjoys a unique sense of collaboration.
“We are all focused on getting the patients to their most independent selves so we really have to work together to make sure we can accomplish that in a short time,” she explained. “Not only are we nurses, but we are also educators and advocates. We work hard to make sure patients get stronger but that they also are set up to succeed after they leave our hospital.”
Christine DeNiro,
BSN, RN, CRRN
Showing appreciation for the nurses at MARH
The nursing staff at MARH is quite accustomed to their work as the epitome of care giving. However, their tireless efforts do not go unnoticed. As such, they often find themselves on the receiving end of great appreciation from the hospital itself.
They are honored through monthly recognition of birthdays, anniversary dates, special events, and reaching a special achievement, such as Employee of the Quarter or Employee of the Year. The hospital also hosts regular cookouts, ice cream truck visits, and coffee baristas.
“We love showing our appreciation to the nurses at MARH,” expressed DeNiro.
For complete customized rehabilitative care, MARH is the preferred destination. Navigating this journey can be challenging. Fortunately, the doctors, nurses, therapists, and all other clinicians who practice here make that experience less stressful with personalized therapy approaches, a treatment plan tailored to each individual’s health care needs, and a highly personalized touch.
“We love our work environment, the employees, the patients. And we get to learn so much working here.”
MidAmerica Rehabilitation Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification in Stroke, Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Amputee, and Parkinson’s Disease Rehabilitation.
Located in Overland Park and serving greater Kansas City, MidAmerica Rehabilitation Hospital is a leading provider of inpatient rehabilitation for stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and other complex neurological and orthopedic conditions.
For more information call 913-491-2400 or visit www.MidAmericaRehabHospital.com
