Thank you, Nurses (Part 2): MediGuide Nurses Speak Up

Describe your role at MediGuide

Julianne: I speak to MediGuide members all over the world who seek medical second opinions from our expert physicians. I ask questions to fully understand the member’s health situation, review their medical records, and carefully match their specific case (symptoms and diagnosis) with a specialist physician at one of our world leading medical centers.

Krystin: I feel it is my duty to make every member feel that their case is my top priority. They need to feel that they are heard and that we are doing everything we can to give them the guidance and support they need at a very difficult time in their lives.

What are your biggest day-to-day challenges and how do you overcome them?

Kristine: Access to member medical records varies by country. We work with partners in local countries where members are located to help facilitate medical record collection. In addition, MediGuide uses a web based imaging platform which allows members to easily upload their radiology images from home and MediGuide to have immediate access to them.

Heather: Finding the time to juggle being a mom, nurse, daughter, sister, friend and now adjusting to a new normal. I try to practice gratitude every day.

What are the main satisfactions / rewards of being a nurse?

Heather: Knowing that I contributed to making a difference in someone’s life even if it is small – offering a sympathetic ear, providing direct care, finding resources, or connecting members to services.

Ashley: Being there for a member in their time of need. It’s important for me to be a person my members can trust and rely on.

How do you practice self-care when you dedicate so much of yourself and your time to caring for others?

Kristyn: For me self-care is taking time in the morning before my family wakes to exercise and plan my day.

Ashley: My girls are my world. Spending time with them is the best way to reset and reprioritize.

Please list at least one stereotype you feel the nursing profession could do without.

Heather: Nurses just give out meds and take orders from the doctors. We are so much more than that: we are educators, counselors, confidants, liaisons, advocates, we are in many ways the glue that holds all the moving parts together.

Julianne: That we are lacking in compassion because we have seen it all and are just numb to it. The reality is we cry for and with our patients, we think about them when we’re not at work and want only the best for them.

How has the global Covid-19 crisis impacted healthcare workers lives, nurses in general, and you personally?

Jennifer: In addition to my work with MediGuide, I am also working on a COVID-19 unit at my hospital. While I am thankful that there are so many trying to help to get the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), I am frustrated by the lack of PPE supplies. There have been times when I couldn’t go into a patient’s room when they needed me because I had to wait for gowns to be sent up.

Julianne: This is a stressful time for all healthcare workers. Having less time to spend with patients than they normally would, nurses have to provide a different level of care. They go into work each day, worrying about bringing the virus home - I come home from work and change out of my scrubs as soon as I get there. Every day is something new but this crisis shows how healthcare workers can come together and adapt to the changing needs of our patients and communities.

MediGuide’s nurses help guide and support our members through often traumatic and life-changing situations from crisis to recovery. We thank them for their extraordinary contributions to MediGuide and our members, and their selfless dedication to caring for patients infected with the Covid-19 virus.