Meet Valerie M. Hatfield, BS, BSN, RN, CHPN Care Manager and Patient Advocate
Broad Street Home Care is delighted to introduce you to our newest team member, Valerie M. Hatfield, BS, BSN, RN, CHPN Care Manager and Patient Advocate, and more!
Valerie, what motivated you to become a nurse?
I have always been interested in health and wellness. My first degree was in community health, but it was not specific enough for me at the time to pursue a career out of. My grandfather got sick shortly after I graduated, and had hospice at his home. The nurses were genuine and compassionate. I instantly made a connection to perfect strangers that had our best interest in their heart. It motivated me to pursue nursing because of the love they gave my grandfather and family.
Can you tell us a little bit about your nursing background?
I started as an Oncology and hematology nurse for the first portion of my career. I then moved into a liaison role with a hospice company. Most recently I managed an 8 bed hospice unit in a community hospital setting.
You’ve been caring for people for over half of your life. Which part do you find most rewarding?
The trust that is built between a family and patient is very rewarding. When a perfect stranger trusts you with their life, it is a powerful feeling to ensure you do your best and advocate for the right thing.
As a Care Manager/Patient Advocate what do you find most challenging?
Ensuring we have a good fitting care professional to take care of the client. Skill set and personality, specific to the client, is important to a successful outcome.
What is the most enjoyable part about working with Clients and their families?
Gaining their trust to ensure they are taken care of based on their specific needs.
As an RN, how often do you find yourself engaged in Patient Advocacy?
As an RN we have a duty to advocate for the ones we are taking care of. Advocacy is part of nursing, and the involvement is client specific.
What is the most important aspect of your job with Broad Street?
When a personalized care plan is put together for a client, it is my top priority to carry that plan out. Also as important, updating the care plan as the clients changes to remain fluid with the clients’ needs.
You’ve worked a great deal in Oncology Nursing. How is that experience helpful to you in what you’re doing now?
Oncology gave me a solid foundation regarding the whole body. Cancer can develop anywhere, which provided me with a better understanding of each system. A cancer diagnosis is also very scary. Being alongside a patient to provide guidance and compassion shaped my nursing practice.
What can you tell us about your first day with Broad Street?
I had the pleasure to be a nurse with a client who had high nursing needs. It was amazing to see the nurse I was with do such an amazing job, and the client enjoyed and trusted her with her care. The family too was so appreciative for the love and care of their daughter. I also learned a few things that were specific to her disease process. It was humbling to know that you never stop learning in this profession.
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Broad Street Solutions in Senior Care
Home Care is all about people, probably more than any other service that exists. It is filled with complexities and uncertainties, because every human being is different. But if we embrace that fact, we can then redirect our focus and approach every situation and every person uniquely. Because we know that within all of that complexity lies the potential for great relationships, relationships not based on perfection but based on genuine care.
At Broad Street, we spend the time to understand the details, to prioritize the needs and attributes as well as work through the constraints challenges and constraints. It is through this process that we continue to learn and work through the issues and adapt. Life is inherently unpredictable. But with greater understanding, we can better anticipate and manage towards not only a more reliable solution but towards creating a great and fulfilling experience for everyone involved.